Falling Through Memory Lane
by PorporaVolpe
Summary: AU. While visiting his childhood home, Naruto falls into an invisible portal which drops him into an alternate, fantasy-like, world. While trying to find his way home he will meet new friends, encounter obstacles and find pure love. SasuNaru story and side GaaNeji. A love story with elves, dwarfs, and plenty of magic. :)
1. Chapter 1 - Just Another Day

**Just another Day**

**Discalimer: I don't own Naruto or YouTube (since I referenced it) :P**

Heeeyy! Welcome to Falling through Memory Lane :D

This is going to be a Sasuke x Naruto story, so if boy x boy is not your thing then I highly recommend leaving and finding another story. Forewarning, it will have Naruto x Hinata in the **beginning**. There will also be a side pairing of Neji x Gaara.

This story will be rated T and it will have a badmouthing Naruto.

Let me know what you think :)

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*ring* *ring*

A small bell rang as a wooden door opened into a quaint restaurant labeled "Ichiraku: Ramen Restaurant and bar". A single young man stood behind the bar looking bored and deep in thought. His blue eyes widened at the sight of a regular customer, a smile forming on his lips and a tan hand lifted for a wave. "Welcome!" The man chimed, sounding as happy as the bell on the door. His blond hair swayed halfway down his ears as he tilted his head. "What can I get for ya? Your regular bowl of beef soup and a shot of whiskey?"

"Hey, Naruto! How's your day been kid?" The customer asked while setting down his briefcase on the bar. The elder man slid into the bar stool while starring at the television screen blaring some sports match. "That should be fine, it's been a looonng day at the office." He sighed as he turned back to the only staff in the front of the house.

After writing down the request and handing the man his alcoholic drink, the happy waiter headed into the kitchen. "Hey." The blond said. After some time passed, "Hey old man!" He shouted at the cook. A radio sat beside the taller man, blaring a new hit single and blocking the waiter. The cook's high, brunet, ponytail bounced as he bobbed his head to the beat. "Iruka!" Naruto stomped over and yanked the radio's plug out of the socket.

"H-Hey!" The brunet complained, turning around to give the blond an agitated look. "I was listening to that song! It was my jam, man!" With a carrot in one hand and a skinner in the other, he raised his arms in defense.

"You can find it on YouTube later, maybe you'll come across the music video! Right now, though, we have an order and I want a good tip…"

Iruka huffed, pouting and crossing his arms at this reply. He set down the stuff in his hands and started on another vegetable.

"You can listen to your boyband when you get home." Naruto said while wiggling his eyebrow, soon bursting into laughter at the sight of the flustered cook.

"G-get out of my kitchen!" A threatening onion was shoved three inches from the waiter's nose. The juice from the vegetable was starting to make his eyes water, Naruto backed out slowly like he was being held at gunpoint. After leaving, he went to check on his customer and refill his glass.

A few customers came in and went off to finish their day. Never really stopping to enjoy the present, only thinking of the future. Naruto leaned onto the bar, resting his chin on his palm and gazed out the street-facing window. Men and women passed by and an occasional child would walk up to glance into the shop. The blond would smile and lift his free hand for a slight wave as a reply. As time went on, Naruto stood there pondering the varieties of events going on in passerby's' lives. "He is in a rush to get to a business meeting, then he will ask for a raise he knows he doesn't deserve." He pointed at the tall man walking briskly down the street, his obviously expensive tie flapping in the small wind. "You, mam, are heading home to a husband and infant triplets…" A tan finger discretely pointed to the woman with wispy red hair and a paper bag in her arms, a loaf of bread popping out of the top. A child walked up to the glass window and waved at Naruto. "You are a tough, rebellious child but have a secret love for small animals. You can't wait to go home and pamper your new kitten." He waved back to the small boy with buzzed black hair. The young child smiled widely and ran to catch up to his mother who was glancing into a boutique next door.

"People watching, eh?" Iruka interrupted the blond's train of thought as he walked in from the kitchen doorway. "That young man over there is going to ask his boyfriend's parents if he can ask for their son's hand in marriage." The cook added, motioning to an adult no older than twenty-three, a nervous look plastered on his face. The ponytailed man and the waiter continued their time passing game until it was time to close up shop.

Naruto started picking up table chairs and flipping them over to slide onto the table cloth. Once he picked up any left dishes or glasses, the blond went into the kitchen to give them off to Iruka. The older man was stationed in front of the industrial sink and wash scrubbing some pots with a bright green sponge. He lifted his head to at the clink of more plates being set down on the counter beside him. With a sign and a reluctant stare, he reached over and moved the dirtied ceramic into the sink. "So what are you going to do tonight?" Iruka turned away from the sink to grab some glassware.

"You know me, go home and watch some cable." The blond responded while grabbing a carrot from another counter. He fiddled with the greenery at the top before biting the tip.

Iruka stopped his scrubbing and turned to face his coworker. "When are you going to finalize your life? He asked.

Crunching into the orange vegetable again, "Finalize?" Naruto questioned.

"You know, settling down? You're twenty-four and work in a ramen bar…" The brunet gave the waiter a 'come on man' look. "You are single and have no education after high school."

"Why would I want to waste my time going to school? It would take me away from my precious ramen!" He joked, chewed up bits of carrot tried to escape from the blond's mouth. "In seriousness though, I don't know what I want to do, why waste my money?" "On what you said before, I feel no need to find someone. The people around here are always on the go, I want someone who is willing to stop and enjoy the small things."

"I know, I know… You want someone who will stop and smell the roses with you." Iruka teased, pretending to be exasperated.

"Shut up, why don't you finish up so you can go home to your _precious _boyfriend and listen to your _precious_ boy band?" The blond waved his palms like he was fanning his face, saying the last few words in a higher pitch.

"Leave Kakashi out of this!" A blush spread over the cook's cheeks which he tried to hide with his anger.

After getting kicked in the back, the blond went back out to the front of the shop to finish closing up. He paused at the windows and noted the clouded sky, "Damn, I should have brought my umbrella…" He pulled the cord and caused the shades to tumble down the window frame.

"Oh!" The ponytailed man popped his head through the kitchen doorway. "Have you heard about your old orphanage?" This grabbed waiter's attention.

"Konoha Orphanage?" Naruto turned abruptly to face the older man.

"Yeah! Apparently they closed down and will be turning the lot into a park. The owner, Tsunade I think, is moving to another city. I guess the in-city area isn't a good place for the kids." He shrugged.

"WHAT?!"The younger man exclaimed, "She can't just leave! That grandma, I'll have to go and see her tomorrow after work." Naruto said while flailing his arms around.

"Don't worry about work, take the day off. I'll tell Teuchi you have to deal with some family matters. If he doesn't let you off, I'll give you one of my vacation days." Iruka smiled, and handed the blond his orange hoodie.

"You don't have to do that!" Naruto fretted.

"I know how much that place means to you. It must be hard knowing you are losing the only thing close to a home."

Naruto ran up to him and gave him a bear hug, nearly lifting the cook fully off the ground. "Thanks!" He proclaimed, taking his jacket and bounding out the front door. He flipped his hood up and over his head as droplets started to fall down onto the street. Heading back to his small apartment, Naruto listed all the places within his childhood home to visit. A melancholy smile made its way onto his face.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reminiscing

**Reminiscing **

**Disclaimer**: **Nope… Kishimoto owns Naruto…**

Hey guys! I hope everyone has had a good week :) Sorry it's been a while… I am going through university transfer applications at the moment. But soon I'll be backed to my usual life schedule :)

Wanna say thanks to **Nell1994**, **TrappedInHappiness**, and **Nala87** for following this story! :D

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A clouded sky met and meshed with the grey city environment, the misty weather scared off the usual busy crowds. A few people, huddled in their coats or hoodies, scurried down the sidewalks. Their downcast eyes focused on the splashes each step made in the puddles form from last night's rain. The air was thick and humid, a predicting sign that it would rain later in the day. An orange hoodie stood out against the dull background, the bright red spiral on his back wrinkled and folded with his every move. Naruto walked along the concrete sidewalk towards the house he once called home. The night before went uneventful, except for Naruto burning the crap out of the last slice of bread. The rain continued all night and into the early morning, but it somehow helped the blond get to sleep. In the morning, Naruto threw on some clean clothes and rushed out the door with thoughts of a busy day. He stopped by Ichiraku first and was promptly met with a scowling cook. Iruka scolded him for thinking of work on his first day off in five years. The brunet quickly booted the blond out the front door and watched Naruto's receding shadow.

Once he realized that autopilot had taken control, he abruptly stopped and took in his surroundings. The large neutral buildings had turned into smaller, brick, housings. Fences lined the properties and extravagant gardens decorated doorways or stairwells. One lone house deviated from the uniform look within the neighborhood. The structure was faded and had a weathered wooden fence surrounding the property. The blond jogged the short distance to his destination, laying a hand on the chipped wood fence. The yard consisted of yellow patches and a variety of weeds. The places where children toys were constantly left were easily found due to permanent indents.

Naruto was shaken from his thoughts when the front door opened, a busty blonde woman emerged with a cardboard box filled with picture frames. "Tsunade!" Naruto called out as he fiddled with the stubborn gate.

The older woman turned her head, "Oh! Naruto!" she smiled gently, then giving her attention to what she was doing previously.

"H-Hold on, wait!" He exclaimed as he finally broke through the rickety gate. Naruto reached her just in time to hear the click of the door's lock. Dramatically, he hung his head low and sighed aloud. The woman's brown eyes squinted in confusion at the young man

A smack on the head promptly made Naruto stand up straight, "What is it you want brat?" A slight smirk appeared on her lips.

"Old hag…" he muttered under his breath while rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Do you want to be kicked where the sun don't shine?" His blue eyes widened, he whimpered. Full well knowing that Tsunade wouldn't hesitate.

"I just wanted inside the house." He batted his lashes as he tried to pull off some puppy-dog eyes.

"Tsunade groaned, "Fine…" she shifted the weight of the box onto her hip. "But first you have to help me with this." She shifted once again to give him the box.

Naruto grunted at the weight of the box, wondering just how many picture this woman had. They walked together back out the gate and towards her white Toyota. The blond wasn't surprised to see a few dents on her bumper. A small beep sounded and she lifted the trunk door. There were a few boxes already in the trunk, all varying in contents. One held children's clothes, two others had some kitchenware or other appliances, and another was filled to the brim with brightly colored toys. Naruto set the box down next to the clothes filled box. "So what made you decide to move?" He asked with a serious tone.

Tsunade's face softened, she knew Naruto loved this house and all the children that lived in it. "It's just time to move on" she sighed, "the children keep getting sick and the building is getting old."

"Can't you just fix up the house?" He pondered, leaning a tan arm on the trunk door.

"It's like the house is telling us to leave. The kids keep getting weak, but when I took them to the suburbs, they got their energy back." She stated. "Plus," she added, "we don't have the money needed to fix up this place." She waved her hand towards the lone house. Naruto's eyes sank, a look of disappointment washed over his face. She turned to the boxes and rummaged through the newly placed box. She pulled out a picture frame, opened it, and slid out the photo inside. "Here." She handed the young man the picture. "Since you won't be able to see us as much." She explained with a slight smile.

Naruto gently took the picture, it showed a group of kids gathered and smiling brightly. A familiar blond boy was placed in the back, behind a scowling red head. Little Naruto was in mid laugh as he pulled the cheeks of the other child, forcing a smile-like sneer on the other child. "But…" he started, "I can't take this." He tried to hand it back to the older woman.

"Keep it, I have the negatives. I'll print another."

"Thanks" He smiled.

"Oh!" Her face lit up, "You wanted to go in the house!" she suddenly remembered. "Here is the key to the front door, make sure to lock up when you're finished." She handed him a small silver key on a little key-chain and gave him a hug.

"Wait, how am I going to return it to you?"

"Just bring it when you come to visit!" She winked as she closed the trunk and headed towards the driver's door.

Naruto started back to the house and managed his way through the gate. He gripped the key tightly as he waved to the blond woman, "See ya later grandma!" He happily shouted to her.

Instead of the usual threats, she smiled warmly. "Can't wait brat!" she smirked as she got into her car and started the engine.

The young man stood in the yard and watched the white car disappear into the misty distance. Once he was 100% that she was gone, he walked to the front door. Before unlocking the door, Naruto pulled out a zip-lock bag from his pocket. It contained his cellphone, a worn wallet, and a red key-chain which held his apartment keys. Tsunade always scolded him for playing in the rain. When he got older, she would sneak a plastic baggie into his favorite jacket Naruto picked it up as a habit and never came home with a water damaged electronic again. The blond man slipped the photo into the bag, between his phone and wallet. After putting it away, he finally turned his attention to the door.

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A dark hallway greeted the blond, small rays of light made their way in through windows in other rooms. Naruto smiled to himself as he remembered the happy and active environment that he use to walk in to every day. He ventured from room to room and looked around, the emptiness was surprising and depressing for the man. As he went from the dining room to the kitchen he started to feel off. His stomach churned and he felt somewhat dizzy, but he brushed it off as his body reacting to his sadness. Around the corner of the dining room was a staircase, carpet that was supposed to be white covered each step. He faintly remembered the pitter patter of children's feet climbing up and down constantly. He lightly held the railing and ascended towards the upper floor.

The top floor was as barren as the lower level, indents in the carpet showed where furniture use to stand. Naruto's eyes lit up at the sight of his old room. Upon entering the room, the first thing he noticed was the change in wall color. At first, little Naruto and the red headed child couldn't agree on what color to paint the walls. Naruto wanted orange paint, but the red head wanted either red or black. They eventually decided on a yellowish gold color, the other child agreed since it was the color of the sandbox. The walls now had a lilac color painted on them with pale white ceiling tiles. He could easily still see the layout of his old room. Two desks sat opposite from each other, twin beds lay near the window, and a bookshelf stood tall near the door. He rushed to the area where his desk used to sit, he looked up at the tile above his head. Now that he was an adult, he didn't need the boost of a desk chair to reach the tiles. He reached up and pushed a tile aside, then feeling around with a free hand. He felt what he was looking for and started to bring down the treasures.

This spot in the ceiling was what Naruto called his "Secret Treasure Chest". He hid some of his favorite sweets and books/mangas, the ones he didn't want to loan to any of the other children. What currently interested him the most was a small key that unlocked the tree-house out back. It was suspended from a key-chain with a clip that they used to hang around the belt loops of their blue jeans. A low chuckle vibrated from his throat as he remembered getting grounded for continuously hiding the key. Naruto slid the key into his pocket as he turned to leave the room, though he paused momentarily to consider taking the mangas along. Ultimately deciding that the books were already too damaged due to dusty surroundings and exposure to leaks. He bounded down the stairs but felt the dizziness return as he reached the last few steps, he gripped the railing tightly as he thought about waiting for it to pass. Stumbling, he ventured towards the front door.

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With only one more part of the property to visit, Naruto exited the house. He thought about what Tsunade would do if he forgot to lock up the building which caused a shiver to go down his spine. A quick turn of the key and he was set, before heading to the backyard he slipped the key into his baggie. Small drops landed on his hair and made their way down to his nose. With a flick of his hand, the orange hood settled on top of his head. A chilled breeze blew rain and mist into his eyes, his nose reddened slightly from the sudden cold. With a sniffle, he started walking.

Naruto headed around the side of the house, slipping past the garbage and recycling bins. The backyard was larger than the front yard, it was broken into sections. A small play area sat in the right corner of the yard. A rusty slide, monkey bars and a lone sandbox stood among many years of footprints. A small, withered, garden was next to it. Tsunade would spend her time there, humming and taking care of the plants while supervising the playing children. In the opposite corner of the property stood a lush tree. It was still around the same height as Naruto could remember, though the branches were longer and hung lower than before. A nauseous feeling found its way back into the blond's stomach, a sharp pain stabbed his head as well.

As the distance lessened between Naruto and the tree-house, the pain and uneasy feelings increased greatly. His vision started to act up once he reached the make shift ladder, small wooden planks nailed to the tree trunk. It took him longer than it would normally to climb up the ladder, he staggered with each notch of wood. The door to the small wooden structure couldn't be opened by the blond's push because of the rusty, but still working, lock. Naruto fumbled in his pocket and grabbed hold of the small clip key-chain. It took a few tries, but he eventually was able to open the wood door.

"Grahg" He grumbled when he hit his head on the ceiling. "Shit… I remembered this being much bigger when I was younger." Naruto mumbled to himself. He rubbed the top of his head and pouted. A sudden churn of his stomach caused him to stick his head out of the tree-house window and let loose the contents from breakfast. Once he was finished, the blond turned back to the interior of the house. Some writing had been etched into the wall which made Naruto internally scream. He started for the desecrated wall but stubbed his foot on a protruding nail. "Gah!" The blond gasped as he lifted his foot. The same feeling of nausea and faintness washed over him, making him loose his balance. He felt his body fall and prepared himself for the landing, he tightly shut his eyes and put his hands out to catch himself. He heard a minuscule clink, instantly associating it with the tree-house key landing on the floor. He was bewildered, how did the key land if he was still falling?

Naruto reluctantly opened his eyes only to result in them widening. The floor of the tree-house vanished and what he was falling into was a large body of freshwater. He screamed and flailed as the lake came closer and closer. A large splash occurred when the blond met the cold water, the blond had plunged headfirst. He quickly gained control of his actions and swam back to the surface. Blond hair stuck to his neck, water droplets rolled down his cheeks and back to the lake's surface. Blue eyes looked to the sky, where he had fallen from, "What….?" He asked with a breathy voice. A small ring floated in the sky, when he squinted he could see the tree-house's interior in the strange ring. The vision seemed to fade in and out, "NO!" Naruto panicked. He frantically swam to the closest shore and dragged himself onto the dirt. Naruto laid on his back and watched as the transparent ring disappeared, the only upside he could think of was the disappearance of the sick feelings.

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Hope you enjoyed it :D


	3. Chapter 3 - Who Are You?

**Who Are You?**

**Disclaimer****: Still don't own any characters, just this story.**

I. Am. Exhausted… Here is a new chapter, alas more characters! Wanted to mention, on my profile I've written out my (current) posting schedule, so check it out if you'd like :3

Thank you **Cattynoir**, **Feline .Inferno** , **Vertigo** **Step**, **Gene. warren .946**, and **Psych0** **F0x** for following!

Thanks **Psych0** **Fox** for the fav!

Thank you so much for the review **Feline .Inferno**! I really appreciate your input, I'll write a reply at the end of this chapter! :D

Enjoy!

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A helpless Naruto lay on the moist shore still trying to process what he just went through… His red sneakers were partially submerged in the lake's cold water, the laces floated and danced on the water's surface. Once he realized things weren't going to magically fix themselves, he dragged himself from the shore and up a grassy hill. The sunny area overlooked the body of water and a forest could be seen on the opposite side of the lake. The young man desperately wanted to wake up in his messy apartment but no matter how many times he closed his eyes, the sparkling lake greeted him every time. Naruto was here now and had to make the best of the situation, he couldn't reverse time.

"Well, it's a good thing Tsunade forced us to be boy scouts!" He told no one in particular, "Okay… First, I have to get these off." Naruto instructed himself, carefully taking off each soaked particle of clothing.

Grass crumpled as tan feet walked to the tip of the hill, the blond looked to the sky. Based on the sun's position, he guessed it to be late in the morning or early afternoon. The warm rays landed on the northern side of the hill and warmed Naruto's body as he started laying out his belongings. His orange hoodie was drying in between the white graphic tee and a pair of frayed cargo pants. The young man tilted his head after putting the pants down, an obvious lump could be seen under the rough fabric. Panic consumed the blond when he remembered his precious cargo (pun definitely intended), "Shit!" A tan hand flew to the pocket and grabbed the plastic material. The baggie held together through Naruto's surprise swim and kept the contents dry and intact. Azure eyes squeezed shut as he thanked, with every fiber of his being, Tsunade for getting him into the plastic bag habit. He stuck a hand into the bag and grabbed out his android phone, luckily he fully charged it overnight.

Dread washed over his face as he yelled "FUCK!" A fat lip pouted as the blond mumbled "How is there no fucking service?"

Getting back to the job at hand, Naruto set down the bag and slid off his briefs to shake them, he didn't want anything to bite his ass now or later. Sometime after contemplating whether or not to lay his underwear to dry, he threw them back on and lied down in the heated grass with his baggie of belongings. Slowly, he pulled out the old photo, smiling brightly as he reminisced the time away.

The sun had greatly changed position when Naruto emerged from his thoughts. He lifted himself up and started picking up his partially dry clothes. An unnerving feeling of vulnerability had been bothering the blond so he put back on his beige pants. Against his skin, the fabric was damp and stiff from the harsh drying environment. Naruto was bent over picking up his shirt, now in the shadows, his ears perked up at the sound of crushed twigs and squished mud. The blond froze, releasing the shirt he had mid grasp. A loud jingle rang when the plastic bag fell from his pocket, landing on his keys and rolling down the hill.

"Slyv ko motuva?" A rough voice asked.

Naruto quickly picked up the sandwich bag and peeked his head around the hill. Four cloaked individuals approached, the front figure stood with his hand gripping the handle of a sword hung from his hip. Long dusty black hair flowed over his shoulders and contrasted with his bold pale eyes. Naruto finished grabbing his clothes and climbed the hill. The long haired raven raised his arm in a protective manner to the others. Right behind that arm stood a taller raven but of a pale complexion. Dark black bangs framed the man's slender face and enhanced his sharp black eyes. The completely black eyes made Naruto uneasy, especially since they were focused on him. The slender man studied the blond's exposed tan chest and smirked. Two smaller figures were in the back, their faces shadowed by leather hoods, both carrying corpses of dead animals.

Pale eyes squinted as the strange question was repeated "Slyv ko motuva?"

"What the hell are you saying? Is this some kind of weird joke?" Naruto tilted his head with a hint of anger, which cause his blond spikes to sway.

All four strangers looked at each other, the black eyed raven silently nodded his head at the long haired man. "Keenit mokur vo nunuptica!" The smaller raven argued. His only reply he received from the dark eyed male was a furrowing of his brow. A pale finger pointed to one of the hooded figures flicked forward. The hidden man on the left came forward and rummaged in a large rucksack, pulling out a strange red colored root and gave it to the pale man.

"W-what are you doing?" Naruto nervously asked as the raven approached him. His green cloak swayed with each step and was blown open by a small gust of wind. The man wore a deep blue collared shirt which fell past his waist, but tied with an embroidered brown leather belt. Long legs were dressed in slim leather pants tinted with a red color, tucked into moss green boots. He offered the red plant to the blond, raising his dark eyebrows as if saying 'Take it'. "What am I supposed to do with a root?" Naruto asked, taking the red plant and observing it.

The tall raven took the blond's tan hand, which held the root, and guided it to his mouth. "Limau" A deep voice instructed. Naruto sensed an honest tone to his words, and secretly he felt a small shiver at the surprisingly deep voice.

Naruto popped the root into his mouth and started chewing, trying very hard not to spit it out. Once he observed the blond start to eat the root, the short haired raven silently beckoned the long haired male. "Neji." The man stepped forward and reached into a pouch hanging near his weapon.

"What is going on?" Naruto asked with a frantic tone, trying to step away from the aggressive man.

"Shhh…" Neji hushed the panicked blond. He pulled a second red plant from his small bag and slipped it in his mouth. After swallowing it, a red cloud floated from his lips and into his palms. The raven rubbed his hands together gently and placed the tips of his fingers on both of Naruto's temples. A numbing sensation took hold of the blond's mind, allowing Neji to affect his mind and body. "Borum ko neeram vi friell tiann." Azure and pale eyes flashed red briefly before Neji pulled away.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Naruto groggily inquired.

"Stop your whining and tell me who you are." Neji demanded, placing his hand once more on the hilt of his sword.

"Naruto-wait… How are you suddenly speaking English?"

"The root you ate was from the Knowll tree. It opens your mind and allows for limited alteration." The raven explained

"Wha-…How di-..?" Still recovering, the blond stumbled over his words.

"To simplify it for an idiot like you, magic." The tall raven interrupted, smirking at the sudden change in Naruto's face.

"Magic? Like 'bippidy boppity boo'?" This question caused the four men to look at each other in confusion. After an awkward silence, he added "So… you can speak English now?"

"No. You are able to speak our language now." His black fringe swayed with another small breeze.

"And who are you mister high and mighty?" Naruto stuck a finger in the raven's face.

A scraping sound could be heard from Neji as he started to pull out his weapon, the pale raven noticed this and gestured him to hold back. "I am Prince Sasuke Uchiha." His smirk only grew as the blond's mouth opened and closed in an attempt to form words.

"Sir, we must move on. Night is approaching and we must get these creatures back." The long haired man bowed his head slightly.

"Where are you going?" Naruto wondered

"We are going to our camp in the forest, beyond the lake." Sasuke replied while also correcting him.

"We?" Naruto asked.

"We don't know who you are, since we found you so close to our camp we must take precautions." Neji announced.

One of the hooded men gave the other his load of animals and headed towards the blond. The tan male started to get in the position to make a dash, but Neji smacked him on the back of his head with the butt of his sword. A small shriek escaped Naruto's lips as he bent over and cradled his aching head. The hooded figure grabbed Naruto's arms and tied them behind his back.

"Wait! My stuff, I can't leave my clothes." Naruto remembered, a slight pleading tone in his voice. Sasuke nodded his head at Neji while continuing to watch the blond. The pale eyed man went to the stiffened particles and gathered them in his arms.

Naruto was placed behind Sasuke and in front of the two other men. The walk was long and the blond found himself being mesmerized by the bounce of Sasuke's hair. Black spikes protruded the back of his head like the tail of a duck. They bounced up and down with every step the taller man made. Sasuke turned his head and glanced at the blond prisoner behind him, "Tired dobe?" Naruto grumbled which caused the raven to smirk once more. It was then, while Sasuke had his head turned, that the blond noticed the ears of the men around him. All of the strange men had pointed ears poking out through hair or making a pointed shape under hoods. The day had been bizarre and long enough that Naruto was too exhausted to be surprised or bewildered…

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**Review Reply:**

**Feline .Inferno: **Thanks! I actually came up with the idea while listening to the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug soundtrack (I See Fire by Ed Sheeran is so addicting haha). I know that I get tired of reading "S/He did this" and "S/He did that" so I try to stay away from constantly using them. I would rather work harder and longer on a chapter and it come out higher in quality :)


	4. Chapter 4 - Under A Golden Moon

**Under A Golden Moon**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor the song **_**Time in a Bottle **_**(by ****Jim Croce****)**

Sooooo sorry about this chapter being late! Something is wrong with my laptop and I had to send it in to be fixed, so I'm using google docs and any other computers I can get my hands on to type this chapter up. This chapter is much longer than usual since I didn't want to split it up into two parts.

Enjoy c:

Thanks to **FlamesOfASaphire **for the favorite and **SagenWarrior **for following and reviewing! :D

* * *

"Hey!" The blond prisoner shouted as a palm pushed him onto his knees, "The fuck is your problem?" Part of a thick tree root emerged from the ground, right between the blond's legs, before diving back into the dirt. The carcasses of unknown animals fell next to Naruto, their wretched smell slammed into his face. The contents of his stomach flopped as he gagged instinctively and shot a fatal glare at the two hooded men. One of the men sighed from annoyance and dragged one of the fallen corpses to a spot in front of a lone tent. Two large trees stood on either side of the enclosed area, the royal raven walked through the fabric and out of Naruto's sight. Neji wandered to the entrance of the tent and puckered his lips to whistle a high pitched tune. Green leaves fell from a spot above the camp and was followed by a small silhouette dropping from a branch, a young woman landed on her feet with a sword in each hand.

"Tenten, no need to watch over the camp anymore. Sasuke requests you be with us." The long haired man informed the female, tossing the particles of clothing into her arms. Her face turned to the prisoner's direction. Braided dark hair was wrapped into two small buns, any bangs were tucked behind a silk band she wore on her forehead.

Dusty brown eyes grew with curiosity, "Who is the new guy?" she questioned eagerly. "He's hot!"

"Come. Now." Neji commanded through gritted teeth.

"Aw… Don't be jealous." She pouted playfully, allowing the annoyed man to drag her into the tent.

The smaller, chubbier, hooded male grabbed a small knife from within his cloak and kneeled down to the blond's level. With a quick jerk of the wrist, the rope tying Naruto's hands collapsed. Before he could thank the man or even sigh from relief, more rope wrapped around his tan wrists. The hooded man tightly fastened the prisoner to the extended root and delicately placed his knife on a tan neck. "Try to escape or even budge…" The point of the blade painfully poked the underside of Naruto's chin, "and I'll gladly separate that bright head of yours from this neck."

The man, satisfied with an audible gulp from Naruto, stood and headed to a small fire near the tent. Both hooded men sat next to the medium sized corpse and bowed their heads while joining hands. Voices above a whisper mumbled together, though Naruto was out of ear shot to understand what the strangers were saying. The hidden men both unsheathed small knives and each grabbed a leg of the animal, begging to remove the skin from the meat. The blond quickly turned his head away and looked to the treetops.

* * *

"Your highness." Tenten bowed her head to the prince, "How was the scouting?"

"Uneventful, until the journey back." Sasuke smirked as he thought of his blond prisoner, seating himself at a table set in the middle of the area.

"Oh, Yeah! Who's the handsome new guy?" The brunette happily asked the prince.

The raven raised an eyebrow in response to the description of the blond, "A stranger we happened upon while returning to camp. He seemed to have been drying his clothes…"

"So that's why he's partially nude eye candy." She stated while lightly licking her lips, dropping the stiff belongings onto a bed made from blankets. A strange, upsetting, feeling poked at the back of the prince's mind. He stood abruptly and headed towards a large rucksack in the corner of the tent.

"Sir, we must get rid of him." Neji growled at his superior, "For all we know, he could be a spy for Kabuto!" He smacked his fist onto the wooden surface.

"I have already considered that…" Sasuke turned his head to the bodyguard, "But I can't believe an idiot like that would be a sneaky underling for that serpent." Neji contemplated speaking more on the topic, but was silenced by a pale hand. The prince leaned down and rummaged through the bag, ultimately pulling out a particular item. "What is to be done with him is up to me, I will decide before we depart in the morning." He stood with a lump of fabric clutched in his hands and was blocked at the entrance of the tent by one of his guards.

"Sir, the jiragu is ready."

Sasuke nodded and beckoned his bodyguards to follow him out of the enclosed area.

* * *

Naruto hummed a soft tune in his isolated spot, the elf-beings had gathered together by the fire to eat the cooked animal. The lyrics of his favorite lullaby echoed in his head along with the thought of his parents. Quietly to himself, the blond prisoner began to rehearse the song his parents would sing during his early childhood. _"If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing I'd like to do..." _

Sasuke stalked to the other side of the open area, lured by the small melodic sound. Crumpled fabric and some food taking space in both of his hands.

"_Is to save everyday 'til eternity passes away. Just to spend them with you."_ Naruto slowly shut his eyes and swayed to the beat in his head. "If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true."

"_I'd save every day like a treasure and then, again I would spend them with you."_

The silent prince looked back to his subjects, still huddled around the fire and conversing loudly. Not one seemed to hear the melancholy music their prisoner was performing. Dark eyes softened as they focused once more on the swaying blond.

"_But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them. I've looked around enough to know, that you're the one I want to go through time with."_ Azure eyes opened once more, looking down towards his tied wrists.

"_If I had a box just for wishes, and dreams that had never come true. The box would be empty, except for the memory of how they were answered by you."_ A small, delicate, smile found its way on Naruto's lips before journeying to his eyes.

"_But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them. I've looked around enough to know, that you're the one I want to go through time with."_ A slight breeze brushed through the sunshine locks, some leaves floated above the ground to waltz and scatter. Long fingers twitched to a guitar rift strumming in his mind, finally humming the last chord.

Cerulean orbs focused on a bright yellow moon peeking through clouds and dancing branches. "Hey Mom, Dad, are you still watching over me? Even in this strange world?" He questioned the moon, "I can't be dreaming right? I mean, I fell in a lake and got drenched. Plus I was able to eat that weird red plant…" He explained to the golden sphere, seeming to try to convince himself. "I just wish this is the same moon as back home, so I can still be able to talk to you like this." Naruto lowered his head and watched an armored insect climb another extended root a few feet away.

Sasuke shifted his weight at the wrong time and crushed a few dry leaves under his foot. The prisoner snapped his attention to the sound, deep blue eyes widened at the sight of the prince. "I apologize for intruding," The raven bowed his head slightly, "but I have a few things for you." He raised his filled hands and calmly walked closer to the blond.

"How long have you been standing there?" Naruto whispered, slightly pouting and looking up into black eyes.

"I brought you a cloak to cover yourself…"

Naruto groaned quietly to himself, the prince had evaded his question and ignored the topic. Sasuke set down the small pile of fabric next to him as he seated himself on the cold ground, extending his arm to offer some meat to the blond. The prisoner responded to the gesture with a disgusted face, "Isn't that the dead thing from earlier?"

"It is charred jiragu."

"The hell is that, some kind of rabbit?"

"What is a 'rabbit'?" Sasuke wondered, repeating the foreign word slowly.

Naruto raised his brow, "You know, a bunny?" He poorly explained. The raven shook his head with a deeper confused look on his face. "Like, um… Hop hop, really tall ears, and long back feet."

Sasuke's face brightened, "Yes! A jiragu! They hop, have long legs, and tall ears." He told the blond, "Now eat, before Neji scolds me for taking care of the prisoner." The raven commanded and shook his food filled hand slightly in front of the blond's face.

Naruto took a small bite of the meat and chewed slowly. His blue eyes enlarged, he didn't expect it to taste good, and hungrily took a larger bite. Sasuke was caught off guard at the blond's appetite and quickly let go of the food. The piece of meat dangled from Naruto's jaws, which he vacuumed up into mouth in mere seconds. "What?" He asked the stunned raven, "I'm hungry, I haven't eaten in hours!" His words muffled between chews.

After the prisoner finished devouring the meat and swallowed, the prince picked back up the fabric and scooted closer to Naruto. "So you don't get cold during the night, you may borrow an extra cloak." Sasuke explained while he tied the thick fabric around the blond's exposed neck.

"Aw… you care!" Naruto dramatically batted his dark eyelashes and smiled widely.

"Neji seems to think you are some master spy, I just don't want you to freeze to death before I can prove an idiot like you couldn't be that elite." He smirked as the blond's face twisted at the insult.

"Asshole…" Naruto muttered through a deep scowl.

"So why were you singing?" The raven asked boldly, the sudden question surprising the blond.

"So you did hear that!" A crimson heat rose to his ears and scarred cheeks.

"Well you were singing it aloud."

"But… you… teme…" Naruto stumbled over his words. He exhaled loudly as he gave up, glancing up into charcoal eyes. "It was a song my parents used to sing to me when I was young. It always seemed to calm me down, no matter what was going on. I never fully understood the lyrics until my parents died in an accident."

The raven nodded respectfully before speaking up, "If you don't mind me asking, what is the meaning?"

"Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't…" He teased, "If you bring me more of that jiragu thing, I might change my mind." A somber smile graced his lips and caused the prince to look on in fascination. "I'm guessing that if you heard that, then you also heard me talking out loud?" Sasuke nodded, silently apologizing through his eyes. "Ah. I bet I looked like a maniac, talking to myself and everything…" Naruto joked while raising his head to look at the golden moon in the sky. "My mom told me that no matter where they were we would always be looking at the same moon. So if I was every upset or felt alone, I could talk to the moon and they would be able to get the message. Childish right?" Azure orbs glanced at the pale man.

"Not at all, I often talk to my mother through the tree above her grave." Sasuke shared with his prisoner. He wasn't sure why, but a friendly aura radiated from the blond stranger and made the prince feel comfortable. The raven stood from his spot, he needed to leave before he accidently shared anything else no one knew. "Rest now. One of my guards will watch over you while you sleep." And with that, Sasuke walked away and into the tent.

Naruto sat bewildered, _"How am I supposed to get any sleep? I'M TIED TO A FREAKIN' ROOT!"_ He screamed in his head.

* * *

The pale tent fabric fluttered past the raven bodyguard, his pale orbs focused on the slumbering prince before him. Sasuke rested his head on folded arms, sitting mostly upright in his seat in front of the wooden table. An array of maps and books were strewn around the table's surface. "Sir" Neji softly said, tapping two fingers on the sleeping man's shoulder. "It is dawn."

Groggily, Sasuke lifter his head and squinted dark eyes at his bodyguard. "What?" His voice was low and rough from sleep.

"It is dawn, sir, have you decided anything about the nuisance?" Neji grimaced as he thought of the loud prisoner.

The prince let loose a long sigh and ran pale fingers through his dark locks, "Yes, I have." Sasuke hesitated to tell the long haired man, knowing full well that the bodyguard would not approve of the decision. "I don't believe he has malicious intentions so he will journey home with us, my brother will decide his fate after we arrive."

"Yes, your highness." The raven bodyguard huffed from defeat and stormed out of the tent, leaving the prince to get ready for the long day ahead of him.

* * *

Naruto woke to a stick poking his head over and over again, he jerked his head back from shock. "Who the hell ar-" He was stopped by a sudden pain in his neck. The blond whimpered as he tried to deal with the pulled muscle in his neck. A young woman squatted down to his level with a thin branch in a free hand, her dark brown

"Your head was in a weird position, it was so strange I had to poke you to make sure you were alive." The lone female grinned wickedly. "So, you are our prisoner?" She asked, tapping the long stick on the crown of his head. As a response, Naruto glared at her and flailed his hands to bring attention to his binds. "My name's Tenten!" She smiled and extended a hand toward the root, "What's yours?" Her brown eyes shined with a fierce curiosity.

"Naruto" The blond replied, somewhat thrown off by the outgoing personality.

"You're hot Naru-naru! I hope Sasuke doesn't decide to kill you!" Tenten chimed, the happiness in her voice contrasted with the topic brought up.

"Naru-naru?" He asked, confused about the pet name, before the rest of the sentence hit him. "WHAT? They are going to kill me?!" Naruto's azure eyes went wide as his blood froze.

"No, no, no" She tsked, "His highness is going to decide what happens to you, you aren't dead yet!" The blond focused mainly on the last word.

Panic washed over his face and he looked around for the pale raven. The two unknown guards stood by the small campfire and cooked the rest of the animal corpses, while Neji stormed out of the enclosed tent. His long black hair fell past his shoulders freely and his pale eyes were darkened with anger. Tenten rose from her spot next to the prisoner and rushed to the other bodyguard. Neji's face softened at the sight of his childhood friend, they exchanged a few words before Neji turned away from the woman. The brunette took a band from her wrist and gathered long black hair into a loose ponytail. Naruto noted the tender look on Tenten's face as she gingerly tied her friend's hair, a slight pink tinted her cheeks. Neji informed the brunette what Sasuke had decided about the blond. His pale eyes looked downwards in disappointment and he walked over to the small fire. She looked upset, until she turned back to the prisoner and let loose a huge grin. When she was back in front of the blond, he questioned her of her giddiness. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing… other than you are going to live to see another day!" She happily announced, raising a victory fist in the air.

"Really?" Naruto's face brightened at the news.

"Apparently his highness has decided you will come with us back to the kingdom." Tenten explained just in time for Sasuke to emerge from the cream colored tent.

"Tenten." The prince called, "Get the harashik." He commanded as he sauntered over to their spot. The brunette bowed before dashing up a nearby tree.

"Whoa…" Naruto commented, watching the petite woman jump from branch to branch like a flying squirrel. "Where did she go?" The blond asked the approaching raven.

"To get transportation, we must leave for the kingdom immediately." Sasuke replied, taking out a small dagger and cutting the binds off Naruto. The blond raised his hands and stretched his arms high into the air, letting out a small sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. His sigh quickly turned into a groan when he opened his eyes to see the raven holding the same line of rope previously tied to the root, slightly shorter due to cutting it free from the tree's root. The blond dramatically shoved his arms toward the prince, who tied the tan wrists back together.

"Damn, I can already feel my wrists chafing!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the complaining prisoner, a noise brought their attention to the brush behind them. The prince tightened his grip on the dagger and scooted the blond behind him, placing a slender finger on his lips to tell Naruto to stay silent. A loud, bird-like song sounded in the distance before four large animals pushed their way through the tall plants. Tenten waved energetically from atop the horse-like animals, jumping down once she reached the prince. Naruto stood frozen in his place at the sight of the creatures, "W-what are th-those?" He managed to get out.

The royal raven stared at him incredulously for a moment, _"What kind of place is this idiot from?"_ He questioned in his thoughts. "These are harashik, they will aid us in our journey back to my kingdom." Sasuke explained as he escorted the prisoner to the female guard.

Naruto gasped as he examined the massive animals before him, the top of their backs reached a few feet above his head. The creatures had light brown short fur, two with black splotches around its body, and flowing dark manes. Slender legs met flat hooves, a lion-like tail swished from side to side behind the animal. Their long faces lead to cat or dog-like mouths with low hanging whiskers. The strange creatures spoke, their voices high pitched and melodic. The blond prisoner stayed with the brunette while the others loaded belongings onto the backs of the behemoths. Tenten watched Naruto with entertainment while the blond watched flabbergasted with every move the creatures made. Once the small camp was taken apart and packed, the brunette guard helped Naruto onto the harashik holding the least stuff. "How am I supposed to steer, drive or whatever, this thing?" The prisoner asked while holding up his bound hands before putting them back onto the animal's back to steady himself.

"Isn't it obvious?" Neji belittled Naruto, "Someone will ride with you, to make sure you don't try anything…" He tried to mutter the last part of the sentence.

"And who, pray tell, will volunteer?" The blond asked in a mocking tone, causing the pale eyed raven to twist his face in annoyance.

"Hn." A low grunt came from the prince, who was tying a cloak around his shoulders. Casually, he walked to Naruto's harashik and launched himself up and onto the beast. Naruto exhaled loudly, this was going to be a long ride… The thought of riding with Sasuke instead of Neji comforted him greatly.

* * *

Large trees and overgrown bushes surrounded the wide path the four harashiks ventured down. The two covered guards rode side by side in the front, their hands on the creature and their weapons. Sasuke and Naruto rode together behind them, the prince keeping a watchful eye on the sides of the road. Lastly, Neji and Tenten's harashik strode next to each other. Neji focused his attention on the prisoner in front of him, one of his hands gripped a wooden bow. Tenten would constantly look back to make sure nothing, or no one, was following them.

Naruto's eyelids bounced up and down, the rhythmic movements of the beasts were like a silent lullaby for the blond. His head started to fall forward and would softly bump onto Sasuke's back as sleep was winning the battle. The raven turned his head to the side to check on his passenger. Naruto swung his head back up in an attempt to stay awake but kept his eyes closed. The prince smiled softly to himself and turned back to the path in front of their harashik.

"Sir, the light will leave us soon." Neji announced, jolting Naruto awake from his drowsy state.

"Very well…" Sasuke responded, whistling to the guards up front before bringing his harashik to a halt. "While we are here, we might as well get some food for tonight." After all of them had dismounted the creatures, and Naruto basically tumbling off, Tenten gathered the harashik around her. She closed her eyes and one by one placed her palm on the tops of their heads. The beats' eyes grew and their pupils dilated, all bowing their heads to the young woman. As she stalked off through some low hanging branches, the mesmerized creatures followed close behind her. Neji grabbed hold of the prisoner's arm as Sasuke walked to the closest tree and placed both hands on the rough bark. He rested his bang covered forehead on the timber as dark eyes closed, a small golden light illuminated from beneath the tree's skin. The shining light disappeared as quickly as it came, but the yellowed color remained in the raven's black eyes. The prince motioned for the rest to follow close behind, pulling an elegant bow and an arrow from his back.

"What is going on?" Naruto quietly asked the pale eyed raven grabbing his forearm.

"His highness has found an animal nearby willing to provide for us." Neji replied in a whisper. Naruto blinked repeatedly in confusion, Sasuke looked back and met the blond's glance. A gold spiral spun in place of pupils and pulsated like a heartbeat. A small sound brought Sasuke's attention back to the task at hand. "Another jiragu." The bodyguard muttered, sounding a bit disappointed.

"That is a jiragu?" Naruto inquired, lifting his tied wrists and pointing in the direction of the calling creature. Its body was slender like a deer and long stick legs lead to small hooves. Its face, however, was small and had plump cheeks. Ears, as delicate as a rabbit and jagged like antlers, pointed up to the treetops. Neji replied to the prisoner's question with a mute nod.

Sasuke arranged the painted arrow in his bow and brought it to eye level, taking a small breath and focusing his spiral eyes on the jiragu. With a swift action, the arrow soared through the air and hit its target straight through the heart. The jiragu faltered before plummeting to the ground, a quiet call vibrating its chest. Neji left Naruto's side and slowly approached the fallen animal. The creature's body rose and fell weakly, small brown eyes darted back and forth but clamed upon seeing pale eyes. Neji sat on his knees and gently pulled the arrow from the beast's chest. Much like when Naruto ate the red root, Neji chanted some words though this time the blond could understand them. "Mother to us all, take this soul and create life." A light surrounded the jiragu, the same color as the glow in Sasuke's black eyes, rising upwards. The creature's shape rose with the light and shinned a bright white with a gold aura radiating like small waves on a beach.

"Wh-what is that?" Naruto asked the prince, now next to him.

"The jiragu's spirit, Neji has soothed the creature in our world and is releasing its soul." Sasuke explained, meeting the blond's gaze. The spiraling shape in his eyes slowly fading as the jiragu's soul brightened.

The spirit lifted its head toward the sunset sky, letting loose a loud melodic call. It stomped its slender legs and huffed at Neji, bowing its head. The jiragu's spirit galloped off towards the large tree Sasuke had touched earlier. The figure slammed into the bark, seeming as if to pass through it but didn't appear on the other side, making the tall timber beam white from roots to leaves. After the tree's light faded, the two hooded guards advanced towards Neji and the fallen creature. Taking it into their grasp and lifting it into their arms.

"Around those trees is a spot we can set up camp for the night." Sasuke announced, pointing a pale finger at three trees standing in front of them.

As they started for the area Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke, "Am I going to be tied to a root again?" He pouted and looked at the prince with big blue eyes.

"No, lucky for you there is no root to tie you to." Sasuke smirked, letting loose a low chuckle when the blond did a victorious jump in the air. "But that just means I can tie you to Neji…" The raven teased.

"You wouldn't dare…" Naruto shot him both a look of complete terror and murderous intent. Completely ignoring the blond, Sasuke continued walking and teasingly hummed a happy tune. Naruto kept yelling at the prince, thinking he was being 100% serious, and Sasuke smirking while ignoring him. The two walked together like this until they reached the others, a fire already made in the middle of the small area. The jiragu was roasting over the fire by then and Tenten had returned, sitting next to Neji and watched the meat hungrily. Naruto stopped in his tracks and caught the attention of Sasuke, all the strange concepts had finally boiled over. His azure eyes had gone dark and empty, he glanced up and into dark eyes. "What are you? Where am I? What is all this?" The questions started to pour out, a genuine look of panic prominent on the prisoner's face. His eyes started to dart back and forth, looking around at the surrounding trees.

"Calm down," Sasuke attempted to soothe the frantic blond, "I'm Prince Sasuke, where are all these questions coming from?"

"What are you?" Naruto repeated, lifting his hands and pointing a shaking finger at the raven's face. "Where are you from?" He desperately added.

"I, I mean we, are Woodlanders." Sasuke set a palm on the prisoner's shoulder and waved his other hand toward the loud group by the small fire, "We are also of elven descent, over decades of generations our clan adapted to the nature and the wooded area. We can communicate with the Mother and all her children."

"Mother? Children?" Naruto desperately tried to keep up.

"The Mother, she whom created us and watches over us through a chosen queen." The prince explained with his eyes cast downwards. "A chosen daughter born from the Mother Tree will be queen, formally known as 'Queen Mother', will help maintain peace among the different elven brethren."

"A child born from a tree?" These explanations had only gotten weirder and failed to bring the blond out of his confusion.

"When a couple has been picked by Mother, their souls will shine and the couple should be taken to the Mother Tree immediately. After two moons have passed a daughter of the couple will take place of the Mother Tree."

"How does the Mother Tree come back?"

"Each Queen Mother is born as a seed… When their souls return to nature, their bodies will let loose the seed born within them. The Mother Tree will fully grow within moments and watch over us while Mother chooses the next worthy couple." Dark eyes filled with sadness met conflicting blue orbs.

After a long awkward pause, Naruto changed the subject. "Where is your kingdom?"

"In the heart of the forest lies my kingdom, Natorin Desam. If we are continue at this pace. We will reach it before dark the day after morrow."

"That's a strange name…" The blond commented.

"It is the name supposedly given to the first generation of Woodlanders by the Mother, it means 'Nature's Children' in the ancient language. Now," Sasuke told his prisoner before beginning again for the roasting food.

"Huh…" Naruto said while he followed the prince to the rest of the group, too much information swimming around in his head.

Neji stood from his seat next to Tenten and rushed to Sasuke, "Sir." He bowed.

"Watch the prisoner." He commanded to the two hooded guards. "You two come with me…" Sasuke pointed to the pale eyed raven and the brunette and lead them past some trees lining the camp area.

* * *

"Sasuke?" Tenten called to the prince with a worried tone.

"Neji," He turned to the male bodyguard, "How could Naruto be a spy if he didn't know anything about our clan?"

"It could be a ruse…" The guard suggested after a short thinking pause. "He could be pretending to throw us off."

"Naru-naru seems like he would be a terrible liar…" Tenten chimed in, mentioning her little nickname for the prisoner.

Neji and Sasuke looked at each other before both asking "Naru-naru?"

"He was too cute to not give a nickname! Since his name was Naruto, I thought Naru-naru was appropriate." She put her hands on her hips like it was obvious to the two men. "Right Hubby-kins?" She asked Neji, batting her big brown eyes and stuck her bottom lip out.

"W-What?! I t-told you to not c-call me that!" The long haired raven blushed from embarrassment and sputtered out.

Sasuke sighed and placed his index fingers on his temples, "Come on gu-" He was interrupted by a loud yell.

"GAAAAH! HOLY SHIT! DUDE!"

The three of them raced back to the camp at top speed, each pulling out their weapon. Tenten reached the area first, her hands clutching twin swords, she gasped loudly and rushed to the three figures by the fire. Neji's pale orbs grew as he sheathed his longsword and followed close behind his childhood friend. Sasuke was the last to arrive, his breath escaping his lungs as he viewed the scene in front of him. Naruto lay on the ground with red liquid staining the cloak Sasuke had loaned him. The chubbier guard stood above him, apparently out of breath, with a long dagger stained crimson. "Jae! What have you done?!" Tenten yelled at the panting man.

"The prisoner trash asked for some food, OUR FOOD!" Jae explained, his eyes hard with anger and "Back me up Reyn!" He begged the other hooded guard, who stood frozen on the other side of the campfire. Reyn was too shocked to say anything to defend his partner's rash actions.

Sasuke ran to the bleeding blond, cut him free from his binds and pulled open the borrowed cloak to reveal the wound. Blood rose from the wound on his abdomen, trickling down his exposed skin and pooled in the dirt. The prince ripped two pieces of cloth from the cloak, one short and the other lengthy. Crumpling the small piece, he dabbed the falling blood from the wound. The long piece of cloth was tied around the blond's stomach and applied pressure to help stop the bleeding. "I-I'm fine…" Naruto said as he winced from pain. He tried to push himself up into a sitting position but fell back down due to the immense pain. "Ah-haha… Maybe it's not so fine?" He smiled weakly.

The prince frowned, turning to give the aggressive guard his death glare. The raven stood from his spot next to the blond and strode to Jae, whose angry face faltered from fear of the prince. Sasuke looked down upon the plump guard and seized the weapon, making the hooded man jump for a second. Without a word, the prince thrust the dagger into the grasp of Neji and turned to Tenten and instructed "Get them." The brunette nodded fiercely and ran as fast as she could to the creatures she hid. Sasuke kneeled back down to Naruto and reassured him, "I'll carry you to Natorin if I have to... I still need to hear the meaning of the song." He smiled softly as the bleeding blond chuckled.

"I'll tell you now if you want." Naruto looked up into black eyes filled with worry.

"No." His black bangs swayed as he shook his head, "You'll tell me after you're healed." The prince seemingly commanded. Tenten pushed through some brush with one of the harashik from before following close behind. Sasuke lifted the blond into his arms and placed him on the back of the creature. "Grab hold." He instructed, placing tan hands around his waist. Naruto did as he was told and the raven lead the beast full speed toward his kingdom.

* * *

"Now…" Tenten said through a forced smile, which could only be described as a grin straight from hell, and turned to Jae while cracking her knuckles. "This is for Naru-naru."


	5. Chapter 5 - The Raveness

**The Raveness **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Naruto is not mine… But this story is!**

Thanks to **DancingGhost** and **JustEnjoyingGoodStories** for the favorite!

Thanks to **JustEnjoyingGoodStories**, **Marine Snow**, **Thetextmaser** and **Princess Sin** for following!

* * *

Wind whistled in the prince's pointed ears and whipped his focused face, His onyx eyes blinked in order to rehydrate from the wind and any debris in the air. It must have been a few hours since they left the camp, Naruto's grasp around the prince's waist lessened continuously. The blond rested his head against the raven's cloaked back, lifting his half-lidded gaze to the bouncing black spikes. "I'm sorry." He said.

"For what?" Sasuke questioned, glancing back for a moment.

"Your coat." The blond explained, taking a breath before continuing, "My blood has gotten on your back."

"Have no worries. I can always get a new cloak, but I can't get another idiot prisoner like you." The Woodlander prince smirked.

Naruto gasped as if he was insulted, but held a small smile on his face. "That is so corny…" Sasuke pondered for a second why his captive was referencing food, giving up after deciding the blond was strange enough to figure out. "How much longer?" He asked the prince.

"Not much further, at this speed we will arrive within an hour."

"Tell me about Natorin Desandi?" The bleeding man butchered the last word.

"Desam." The raven corrected. "What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked, somewhat desperate to keep the blond awake.

"Hmm…" Naruto took a moment, his blinking and thoughts slowing down. "What is it like?"

"Natorin is our powerful kingdom and is surrounded by trees which bloom no matter the season. Many Woodlanders live there, while some others live in the neighboring villages mixed with allies." Sasuke described while picturing his beautiful home. "Woodlanders from families of magic, hunting, healing, and creativity maintain peace with each other. I, myself and my brother, come from a family of hunting. Though you have not mentioned, it would seem that you are from a fam-." He abruptly stopped talking when Naruto's arms went limp. A pale hand darted from the harashik and grabbed the unconscious prisoner. Sasuke readjusted tan arms and held them in place. "Hold on, please, Naruto." The prince whispered to the abusive wind. He yelled a command at the beast to maintain its full speed, the massive creature cried loudly before finally pushing itself for the last stretch.

The Woodlander's charcoal orbs lit up at the sight of his home kingdom, the blooming trees whizzing past the two men. The harashik slowed as they approached the closed gate and huffed from exhaustion. Men wearing shining armor peered over the gate's walls and called out "Who approaches Mother's home?"

"Open up, your prince needs aid!" Sasuke called, unable to lift either of his arms to wave to the men.

"Wood Sasuke!" The tallest of the men announced before pushing past his partner to open the entrance. The prince clicked his tongue and commanded his tired beast to enter the kingdom, "Mother's love!" both gatemen yelled the blessing.

The harashik refused to gallop at the speed it previously reached, settling for a hurried speed. Men, women, and children gathered in front of their houses and shops to greet their prince. Calling and blessing the raven as he passed, none noticed the bleeding male. The large grey castle came within running distance of the riding men, its large stone walls were covered in moss and climbing vines. The prince stopped his exhausted horse and hopped down. He took Naruto into his arms and bolted for the entrance to the castle. "Step aside!" The raven commanded to a small group of guards stationed out front. Seeing the desperation and sense of emergency in their prince, the royal guards moved and one opened the large oak doors for Sasuke. Two from the group escorted the raven to the healing ward of the castle, where Neji's cousin was in charge. "Hinata!" Sasuke called while bounding up the spiraling stairs. The pale eyed woman rushed to the door of her ward. Her long black hair was tied into a hip length braid and contrasted against the long lilac robe she wore.

"Your highness?" Her meek voice asked.

"Prepare a bed." He announced, panic rising as he felt the crimson fluid bleed through the cloak and bead down his white shirt.

At the sight of the unconscious man, Hinata rushed back into the room and started going through a stack of herbs by a large window. Sasuke walked in and set Naruto down onto a free bed. While the female raven gathered her supplies, the prince unwrapped the torn cloak pieces tied around the blond and applied immediate pressure to the raw wound. Hinata threw the handful of herbs and berries into a marble bowl and started to mash it together with a rounded block of stone. Once she was satisfied with the mixture's consistency, she brought the bowl over to the two men and seated herself on a stool beside the bed. The Uchiha removed his hands from the blond's abdomen and wiped his bloodied palms on his brown leather pants. Hinata used her index and middle fingers to spread the green mixture over the wound and around the general area. "Desam wihalik chiraim." The meek girl said with confidence. "Desam wihalik chiraim." She started to chant the ancient language while hovering her pale palms over the wounded belly. The mush glowed green and the rays of light rose like fire, the tips of the flames turning gold as they lifted away from the skin. To the prince, the chanting continued for an unbearable amount of minutes. Hinata stopped repeating the sentence when the glowing fire ceased and the blond started to open his eyes again. Sasuke sighed from relief, he couldn't explain why but he felt unbelievably happy.

Cerulean eyes opened halfway and set their gaze upon the white robed healer. "An angel?" The grogginess in his body made his voice deeper than normal.

"S-sleep n-now." She quietly commanded, lightly tapping Naruto's forehead. With this, she used her magic to connect with the mixture his body consumed, the blond instantly fell asleep. A bright crimson dusted her cheeks while she watched the slumbering man.

Sasuke silently observed the scene in front of him, "Hin-."

"Wood Sasuke." He was interrupted by an armored guard, "His highness, Wood Itachi, calls for you immediately."

With a curt nod, the raven prince turned to leave the room. He looked back at the scene before closing the oak door. Deep within him; a concoction of anger, disgust, and sadness swirled in his mind and heart. He didn't understand why, but he felt the overwhelming impulse to either kill someone or fall to his knees and cry. The guard shifted his weight and caused his armor to clatter. Sasuke turned once more away from the healing ward, closing the door fully, and followed the escort to where his elder brother was waiting for him.

* * *

Itachi paced in his study, light filtering in through a partially covered window and illuminating the shelves filled with an array of books. The wood floors creaked under his harsh steps and the slight breeze caused by the turning of his robe scattered loose pieces of paper on the floor. The creases under his onyx eyes housed both shadows and bags caused by sleepless nights. Head held high, his shoulder length hair swayed with every step he took. Long, pointed ears twitched at an almost unnoticeable creak in the floorboards down the hall. The guard escort opened the door and bowed to his king before stepping to the side to allow the young prince to enter. Itachi's usually emotionless face cracked to reveal a pained and worried expression. "Sasuke, what has happened?" He rushed over and opened the bloodied cloak, "Are you injured?"

"Brother." The young raven hushed the panicking elder, setting a palm on one of the arms holding open the dirtied coat. "It is not mine."

"Then who?" The older brother's face relaxed at the news, but his eyes still retained the same amount of worry.

"We found an elven brother by the shore of the lake, close to our camp." Sasuke explained, "An idiot guard we took stabbed him. Just for asking for food! I want Guard Jae to be punished!" He growled. Itachi lifted a dark eyebrow at the ferocious anger his brother held.

"Where is this man now?"

"Resting in Hinata's ward, she got to wound to heal. Thank Mother." He whispered the gratitude, the young raven's voice deepened from relief.

Satisfied with the situation, Itachi changed the subject. "So you're scouting was beneficial to the research?"

"Yes and no." Sasuke replied. "Neji was able to get some information out of a minion that we captured, though he was killed by Orochimaru's spell before we could get anything really useful."

"So what does this mean for our cause?" The king questioned.

"A first step." The young prince smirked. "That snake doesn't know where the entrances appeared. He is no further than we are…"

Itachi nodded and turned away from his brother, lifting up the window's covering to peer into his kingdom. "Could tell me again how you came across this prisoner, what was his name again?"

"Naruto." Sasuke softly announced while seating himself in a nearby chair. "We were on our way back to the camp when…"

* * *

The sun had begun to set and painted the castle's corridors with shadows. Sasuke covered his mouth as a wide yawn emerged. The day had been long and tiring for the raven, the urgency finally receding and turning into exhaustion. Guards, traveling to their stations or patrolling the halls, stopped to greet their prince before excusing themselves with a bow. The respected prince simply nodded his head in response and would resume his walk to the healers' room. Thoughts of Naruto plagued his mind since he left the slumbering blond in the ward. A small feeling of anger and jealousy came and went as he remembered the image of a blushing Hinata watching over his resting prisoner. Sasuke ran a pasty palm along the cold stone wall as he climbed the spiral stairs toward the healers' ward. Once he arrived and the blond idiot awoke, Sasuke would ask about the mesmerizing song he heard his captive sing. A gentle smile graced the raven's lips at the thought of spending more time, one on one, with Naruto.

"Naru." His pointed ears perked up as a gentle voice called, the prince could easily pin that voice to the pale eyed maiden. Sasuke opened the large wood door a crack so he could see the healer seated once more with the blond, who was now sitting up in his temporary bed. "Naru, tell me!" The raven cringed at the nickname. He couldn't figure out why, but Hinata's endearing name for him made him feel like slamming a fist on the stone wall beside him.

"Whaaaat?" A familiar voice teased. "You mean the song?" Sasuke's charcoal eyes widened, the blond must have performed to Hinata the same melody the raven heard the night before.

"It was so beautiful, I would like to know more about it." Her small fingers played with a loose strand of hair before tucking it behind her elven ear. The stubborn lock of hair fell from its spot and tickled her cheek. A light pink blush rose from her cheeks to the tips of her pointed ears.

"Well…" Naruto paused, "The song means a lot to me and I'd love to tell you about it." The blond sported a wide grin as he helped tuck the elusive strand back behind her ear.

Sasuke groaned slightly as he turned his head away from the door, closing his eyes and resting his head back onto the damp stone. Something in his chest constricted and pained him internally. A boney hand gripped the dirtied fabric covering his heart. The raven felt betrayed by his blond, _"How dare he… How dare he break a promise with me, the prince of Natorin!" _He screamed in his head. Before he could hear another word come from his prisoner's mouth, Prince Sasuke blended into the setting sun's shadows and escaped to his chambers.

"The meaning of the song is…" Naruto began, too captivated with the woman beside him to hear the pained groan, his azure eyes swimming with contemplation.


	6. Chapter 6 - Standing Trial

**Standing Trial **

**Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. **

Sending thanks to **Enmy**, **Alexiswazhere**,** EnRei**, **Purehearts22**, and **Whiskersxoxo** for following FTML!

Thank you **Alexiswazhere**, **Archangelmika**, and **Purehearts22** for the favorite!

Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed so far! :D

* * *

"The meaning of the song is…" Naruto began, too captivated with the woman beside him to hear the pained groan. His azure eyes swimming with contemplation.

He reached out a hand and lightly cupped the maiden's pale cheek, "Something I must tell you later." Naruto smile gently, "I am exhausted and extremely sore."

Hinata pouted and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, "But you said you'd tell me."

A low chuckle reverberated, "I promise, I'll tell you soon." He lightly patted the cheek he was holding. The ebony woman stood from her spot beside the bed and headed to the station where the mushed mixture was.

"So, Hinata, am I in Natorin?" He wondered, glancing out a window to the right of his bed.

He starred at him for a second before replying with a "Of course, Naruto."

"Where's Sasuke?" The blond asked.

"Wood Sasuke? I believe he is talking with his brother, Wood Itachi."

"Why do you call him 'Wood' Sasuke?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Are you from another clan?" Hinata stopped gathering up the dirtied bowls to turn to the injured man. "You must not be from the woods, right?"

"I guess you could say I'm not from around here…" He stated while bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head.

"Mhmm." She nodded, "Any Woodlander of high stature, like his majesty Wood Itachi, are chosen children of Mother and must be addressed with respect." The maiden explained, turning back to pick up the small bowls used to heal patients. "Oh! Tenten stopped by while you were resting."

"Really?" Naruto asked, somewhat astonished.

"She brought a bundle of your belongings." Hinata explained as she handed him the ball of clothes.

"Awesome!" He cheered, taking the clothes and grabbing a familiar plastic bag. Naruto tucked the bag into his pocket and set the stiff clothes next to him on the bed. He paused before asking, "Would it be too much if I asked you to call for Sasuke? I would like to thank him for helping me." The blond smiled widely and held his hands together in a begging position.

Hinata rolled her pale eyes, "I'll try, but I make not promises." She sternly told him. Her long white robe dragged along the wooden floor boards as she walked to the door, "I'll even see if I can get some food for you." She smiled sweetly at her new crush.

"Thanks! Love ya!" He cheered.

Hinata blushed a bright shade of pink, Naruto sporting a similar shade as he realized what he said. "I-I, uh… It is a saying back where I come from. K-kinda means like 'You're awesome' or 'You're great'."

The maiden silently bowed before hurrying out the door, too flustered to say anything in response. The injured blond sat upright with a hand on his mouth, "Smooth." He told himself. In a small fit of embarrassment, Naruto ruffled his hair harshly. "Goddamn it…"

* * *

Hinata, still flustered, scurried down the corridors and toward the Prince's chambers. _"Naruto is such a beautiful man…"_ She envisioned the tan male, _"I have never seen someone with such dark skin and light hair within our kingdom before. He is so different from any Woodlander, a complete opposite of Wood Sasuke." _Then it occurred to her, _"Why would my Naruto want so much to see his highness? Wood Sasuke is the most handsome in our kingdom… Does Naruto…?" _A small feeling of jealousy festered in the back of her mind. _"Hold on, Hinata. They are both males, there is nothing to misunderstand between the two."_ The maiden was so enveloped in her thoughts that she forgot to pay attention.

A loud opening of a door behind her brought the ebony woman to her senses, the prince stormed out of the room and slammed it shut behind him. He clenched his hand into fists and lowered his head, making his spikes tumble forward and obscure his face. To Hinata's surprise, Sasuke slammed a fist onto the stone beside the door "By Mother's will…" He muttered, the maiden could sense and feel the pain and frustration in his words.

"Wood Sasuke?" She delicately called, slowly walking back towards him and reached out a hand. She approached him and lightly lay her hand on his drooped shoulder. "What is the matter, your highness?"

Sasuke abruptly turned to the raven maiden, once he registered who she was he backed away. "Hinata, leave." She shuddered from the utter hatred she saw in his eyes. His onyx orbs churned with hatred then calmed into sadness, she watched his face and defenses fall simultaneously. "I-I'm sorry Hinata, I… I just need to get some air, I'll be back in a moment." He apologized, turning away from the maiden who took his blond and started to walk down the hall.

"Sir! What is wrong? Is there anything I can do to help ease your mind?" She begged, then realizing why she was on a search through the castle. "Naruto wanted me to call for you, he wants to thank you."

"_Is there anything you can do? Leave Naruto…"_ He thought, stopping in his tracks. "Tell him I'm out visiting my mother, he will understand." He casted his gaze downwards, the pain in his chest grew. With that, he resumed his path toward the nearest exit outside.

Hinata stood in front of the closed door, still watching Sasuke's retreating back. "Sasuke…" The room opened and closed once more and similar pale eyes looked up at the obstacle blocking his way.

"Hinata?" The bodyguard called, "What are you doing in front of his majesty's study?"

"Neji, so you are home!" The maiden yelled, giving her cousin a welcoming hug, "Why is Wood Sasuke upset? He just stormed out of the room while I was on a search for him and was extremely angered. What happened in there?"

"Hin, calm your mind." He rested a palm on his cousin's shoulder, his face twisted as he prepared to explain her. "I went to Wood Itachi and informed him of my doubts about the prisoner's story."

"Prisoner? Do you mean Naruto?" Loose strands of dark hair fell over her ashen eyes and furrowed brows.

"Yes, I believe he may be a spy for Kabuto and just wanted to infiltrate our castle to gain information on the entrances."

"Naruto wouldn't do that!" Hinata almost yelled.

"That is what Sasuke thinks as well. But whether he would or wouldn't is up to Wood Itachi now." Neji said as he moved his cousin aside.

"W-what do you mean?" She stuttered as she thought about what he could mean.

"That blond idiot will stand trial for potentially being a spy, Wood Itachi will decide his fate." He announced without facing his heartbroken cousin.

"No!" She screamed, "He can't leave, he isn't a spy!" She begged, tears brimming in her pained eyes. "I think I may love him…" She collapsed onto her knees.

"I'm sorry Hinata, but it is now out of my hands." For the first time, Neji showed an expression of regret and conflict. "Now, I must make the hasty preparations for the trial." He clenched his fists and left his cousin in the hall.

* * *

Naruto rested in the bed on his side, his blue eyes cracked open and starring out the window, a red colored sun rose above the tree line. He hadn't realized how late, or early it was. A strange bird, with bright yellow scales and feathers covering it's frog like body, sat on a branch outside the window. The blond was still not sure where he was or if it was a dream or not, though the throbbing pain in his abdomen convinced him this was real. Iruka and the ramen bar passed through his mind, he would be waking up around this time, assuming it was about 6 in the morning, to start getting ready for a long day of serving. Iruka must have reported him missing by now… His stomach growled and he whined as he thought about a big, steaming, bowl of ramen. Would he never be able to eat ramen again? The thought sent him into anguish, _"That would be a fate worse than death!"_ He sniffed back tears. The door to the large room swung open and a distraught Hinata rushed in. "Hinata? Where is Sasuke?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

With her back to him she responded, "He told me to tell you that he is visiting with his mother. He said that you would understand." Her voice wavering slightly.

"Yes, I get it." Naruto nodded, "He needs that so, we should leave him to chat with her." He smiled gently, knowing how relieving it is to talk to his parents.

"Hng…" She turned to Naruto and started to cry.

"Hinata? What is wrong?" The blond panicked and sat up abruptly.

"My cousin…"

"Cousin? Who is your cousin?" Naruto asked,

"Neji Hyuga, He is one of Sasuke's close guards."

"Neji is your cousin? How could that jerk be related to an angel like you?" He thought out loud.

Hinata stopped crying for a second, surprised by the sudden statement. Her pasty eyes filling with tears again, and started sobbing.

"Wha!" Naruto yelled, "I-I didn't mean it! Your cousin isn't a jerk, I'm sorry!"

"No, it's not that." She spoke between sobs. "You are going on trial for conspiring as a spy…"

"Trial? For being a spy?" He repeated. "But I'm not a spy!" Naruto threw his arms up into the air, wincing from pain shortly after.

"I know!" She looked up into his azure eyes, "Sasuke knows too! But it is out of Neji's hands now."

"We can get through this, so stop crying." The blond man spoke softly, lightly running a hand along the maiden's temple and tucked the loose locks behind her pointed ear.

"Naruto, I think I lo-." Hinata started, but was interrupted by Neji and two Natorin guards opening the healing ward's door.

"Lady Hinata, move away from the prisoner." One guard commanded, stepping toward the raveness and drove her away from the blond's bed. The other guard took hold of Naruto's arm and lifted him up, the wounded man still weak from the blood loss.

Neji walked up to the blond and pulled out a parchment, reading the words aloud. "You are required by his majesty Wood Itachi to attend a trial. You have been charged and accused of conspiracy against Natorin Desam, through the act of spying for the enemy." He finished. "Go ahead." The pale eyed man nodded to the guard holding the prisoner up. With a small gesture of respect, the guard s exited the room with Naruto in grasp and left for the assembly. Neji turned to his silently sobbing cousin and knelt down on the floor. "Hinata, I am sorry and I hope you can forgive me."

The woman looked up into similar ash colored eyes, "I could never hate you Neji. I'm sorry, but could you leave me be? I'll be down shortly to attend the trial and lend my support for Naruto."

* * *

The streets had gone quiet and scarce, all the Natorin residents were attending the sudden trial for the mysterious outsider. Sasuke walked through the wood grove and gardens, toward his mother and father's grave. The large Mother Tree stood tall and royal above the Queen's resting place. Its lush green leaves shimmered with a gold light, the bark pale and smooth to the touch. Sasuke pressed a hand on the cold trunk and looked down at the small headstone. "Mothers, I am distraught." He lightly muttered, emotion filled in his voice. "I am no closer than before with stopping Orochimaru, I have found a man who gives me strange emotions and thoughts, and that man is wrongly being put on trial for conspiracy. What should I do?" The wind rustled the leaves of the tree and through Sasuke's hair, as if fingers brushed through his locks. "Mom…" He called, remembering his mother's small gesture to calm him. "Naruto is an idiot, he seems and uncultured fool, and at the same time so generous. I feel safe around him and can trust him." He smiled softly to himself. "Hinata and he have connected, I can sense their chemistry." He furrowed his brow, "She can make him relax and speak so freely." He paused shortly before finishing. "Why do I feel this way mom? I have this small hatred for Hinata now, but at the same time I feel so guilty… She has done nothing wrong, so why must I feel this pain in my chest and mind?" His voice reaching just below the point of yelling. Sasuke settled onto his knees and rested his forehead on the tree, his hands falling to his sides. Another gust of wind passed through and made falling leaves waltz through the air. The whistling breeze rushed past the raven's pointed ears, a small but distinct call echoed.

"_**Sasu~ke…"**_ A feminine voice called through the air.

"Mother." Sasuke replied, his charcoal eyes watering slightly.

Silence passed as the prince knelt in front of the tree, his breathing calmed and peaceful. He could always feel comforted there with his mother and Mother watching over him. "Sasuke." Itachi called as he approached his younger brother. "We have been looking for you, the trial is set to begin soon… You must be present."

"I am aware of that Itachi." Sasuke responded, rising from his spot, facing his older brother and King. "I needed to talk to mother for a moment and calm myself."

"I understand." Itachi looked gently down to his sibling. "I am here as well if you need me."

"You have told me before, I know." Sasuke smirked, lightly and playfully punching his brother's arm.

"Just keep it in mind." The older Uchiha lovingly poked a finger onto his brother's covered forehead. "Let's head back together."

Sasuke nodded silently and touched the tree a last time, muttering a soft goodbye. Itachi bowed to the Mother tree and wrapped an arm around the younger raven's shoulders, chatting as they walked back to the castle for the trial.

A bright silver figure sat upon one of the tree's low hanging branches, her long hair fluttered in a nonexistent breeze. Her gaze loving and proud as she watched her offspring journey together down this path.

* * *

Naruto observed the hallways as he was dragged down them by the two guards, one turning to the other and muttering "So this is the guy that caused Jae to be locked up?"

"I assume so…" The shorter guard replied to the other.

The blond, now being dragged through a large entranceway, ignored their chatter and turned his attention to a large portrait hung by vines. The painted picture showed a very stern looking man sitting next to a standing, beautiful, woman with two children around them. His dark hair hung down his neck but didn't touch his collarbone, Naruto could feel the man's black eyes stare at him through the painting. The woman's long black hair fell over her shoulders and bangs framed a face showing a gentle expression. An elegant crown, with what seemed like twisted golden branches, contrasted against her ebony hair and pale skin. The oldest child stood beside the right side, the painted child's right and not Naruto's right, of his father's chair with a blank expression on his small face. The young boy's black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, which rested over his right shoulder. A much younger child, held in his mother's arms, looked out the painting and reached a small pudgy hand to Naruto. His small black eyes were wide and bright above a cooing expression. Black bangs fell over and around his face, the back and part of the left side spiking outwards. "Sasuke?" Naruto softly asked. _"Then that must be Itachi and his parents…"_ He thought as he glanced one last time at the other three occupants of the painting, the guards pulling him around a corner and out of the large room. Four other guards stood outside red double doors, the wood decorated with a language the blond couldn't understand.

"We have the one in defense." The taller guard holding Naruto announced.

The four other guardsmen opened the large doors and closed them once Naruto and the two men were inside the open room. Rows upon rows of men and women lined the sides of the room, tall and embellished seating were feet away from Naruto. In the largest chair sat a man with long black hair and indents under his onyx eyes, a familiar gold grown sat on his head. "Your majesty, Wood Itachi." The shorter guard brought forth Naruto and proclaimed, "The defending elven has arrived." After the king nodded to the men, the two guards banged their left fists on their chests and said a blessing before leaving. "Mother's love."

"Uh… hi?" Naruto nervously said, glancing to the seat next to Itachi. Sasuke sat in the smaller seat, a thin crown made from intertwining silver vine rested around his forehead. The prince stared blankly at Naruto, but turned his attention to his brother.

"What is your name stranger?" Itachi asked, his voice echoing through the large room.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blond replied loudly.

"Alright then Naruto, what are you?" The king pondered, rubbing his chin with his hand.

Sasuke turned to his brother in confusion, squinting his eyes. "He is an elven brother."

"Oh! Actually, I'm not…" Naruto chuckled nervously and rubbed his sweating neck.

The young raven looked at the blond with confusion and bewilderment. "Then what are you?" The older Uchiha asked once again.

"Um, human?"

Gasps of astonishment and fear from the crowd filled the room, Itachi's expression darkened and Sasuke looked pained. "Humans are primal savages! He must be lying." Neji spoke up from behind Naruto, Hinata silently standing beside him.

"I-I'm not! I am human! See?" He yelled as he pulled back his blond hair and showed the room his smaller and rounded ears.

Some women screamed in the audience and men yelled for Naruto to be put to death.

"**Killer!" **

"**Monster!" **

"**Put him to death!" **

The blond looked around in fear and disorientation, "I-I'm no killer!"

The room suddenly fell silent as Sasuke stood from his seat, whistling a deep tone which echoed through the room. "I believe Naruto. He is no killer, not like all the other humans we know of." Itachi watched his brother with astonishment, a smirk rising on his lips. "Look at what he wears, at what he brings!" The Uchiha pointed to the dirtied and bloodied cargo pants the blond still wore.

"What have you brought?" Itachi asked the blond, a playful look in his eyes.

Naruto gasped, pulling the plastic material out of his pants pockets, "Here are my things." He announced while holding the bag up in the air. "I highly doubt any human here would have this." He said while taking out and holding up his cellphone, the bright orange case on the phone made the white trimming of the phone stand out. "Or, what about this?" Naruto called as held up his apartment keys, which dangled from and clanged against a vibrant red keychain.

"Then where do you come from?"

"Earth! Well I guess this is Earth…" He stated, "Either way, I lived in a city and worked at a simple ramen bar. I went to visit the orphanage I grew up in and when I went to my old tree house I fell!" He threw up his arms dramatically, not learning from last time and winced in pain. "Gah," He groaned as he clutched his stomach. "I fell through this portal thing and into a lake, the lake where Sasuke came across me."

"Where is this 'portal'?" Itachi asked in a sort of desperation.

"It was over the lake, but it disappeared after I fell."

Murmurs could be heard around the crowd, Itachi sat amused and convinced. "I have decided." He announced, matching his brother and standing up. "You are welcome in my kingdom and have been formally relieved of your charges." As Naruto smiled a large grin, Hinata clapped excitedly, and Sasuke sighed from relief; Itachi smirked and muttered to himself "This will be interesting…" He glanced at his younger brother, who was watching the happy blond with gentle eyes.

Hinata hugged the celebrating Naruto and yelled happily "You're not leaving!" Her pale eyes bright and brimming with happy tears.

"Of course not!" Naruto responded like he had the situation under control. Embracing each other, the two acted on their overwhelming emotions and softly kissed. Their lips gently touching, a warm feeling gushing through them both. When they parted, Naruto nervously asked "Should we do this?"

"D-Do what?" Hinata stuttered with shyness.

"Us, this… What I mean is, do you want to go out with me?" He corrected himself. With an excited nod from the ebony maiden, the two continued their happy embrace.

Sasuke's expression darkened as he watched his blond embrace and kiss the healer, Itachi's amused look fading as well. "Sas-." The older sibling started to call for his brother but before the king could finish, the prince already bolted out the exit. Itachi sighed to himself, worried about his brother.

Neji approached the newly appointed lovebirds and knelt in front of the blond, "I deeply apologize for my rudeness."

"Whoa, dude, what's with the sudden change?" Naruto asked confused.

"Sasuke has never stood against his brother, not to mention the people." Neji explained, rising up from his spot on the floor. "He was right all along."

"Where is Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, looking around the room for his savior.

"I believe he went to his chambers." Itachi broke into the conversation.

"Your highness!" Neji and Hinata simultaneously said, both lowering their heads and bowing.

"Thanks again, for killing me and all." Naruto sheepishly thanked the king.

"You have valuable information about our cause, I couldn't kill you." The royal raven explained, then threw in "Plus, Sasuke seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Your cause?" Naruto tilted his head slightly.

"We are also interested in those portals. Orochimaru, an elven brother conspiring against all of Mother's land, is also searching for them. But that is for a discussion later." Itachi's face showed a happy smile, but Naruto could sense a sort of sadness underneath.

"I should go find Sasuke and thank him." The blond announced, pushing Hinata away and turned to the exit behind them.

"Sometime, I would like to discuss what you know about these entrances." Itachi informed the blond.

Naruto nodded confidently, turning again and started for the exit. "I'll come with you." Hinata spoke up, "You don't know the castle."

"No." Naruto sternly replied though gentle grin, "I can figure it out." His cerulean eyes swimming with appreciation. With that, he left the three ravens in the room and headed down one of the many corridors. Hinata stood, watching his retreating figure, the feeling of distance seeding in her heart.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!

FYI: This coming week, I'm flying with my honor society to Texas for an international conference! I might be too busy to post anything since I'll be also working on term papers (since I only have like 3 weeks of the semester left!).

**n**w**n**


	7. Chapter 7 - That Fateful Day

**That Fateful Day**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I wish... Would have been a totally different/better ending, just sayin'**

_I absolutely hate it when I am trying to do something (say writing this extra-extra-long chapter) and life decides to send everything it has at me (For example, being scheduled last minute to work all weekend so I can take next Sunday off for my commencement ceremony). –Siiiggghh- Anyway, I'm back from my break, couldn't stay away from my SasuNaru, so thanks for waiting patiently!_

Thank you to **Thehungrysock**, **TKM**, **Fefasz**, **My-Fair-Lady45**, and **Lorbang** for following :)

Thanks again to **Lorbang** for the favorite!

Also, thank you to **SagenWarrior**, **TKM**, **YuK**, and **My-Fair-Lady45** for reviewing! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this, I wouldn't enjoy writing these stories if no one liked them so it makes me happy people enjoy my work (goes for everyone who has reviewed previously too) :D

* * *

Naruto wandered through the grand halls, all the doors and windows merging in his mind. "Where the hell am I?" He muttered, passing a large vine curling around the masonry, "Have I passed that vine?" With a small groan of frustration he turned left, up yet another staircase, and into a similar corridor. The blond glanced out a passing window and spotted the creature he saw on a branch outside Hinata's room. Though this bird-frog creature was smaller, it had a blue coloring instead of the yellow he saw before. Naruto squinted his eyes, inching closer to the window in order to inspect the strange creature closer. Large bubbly eyes watched the injured man get closer to the window, "Do you know where Sasuke's room is?" Naruto asked softly, feeling ridiculous and desperate. The winged creature squawked, which caused a large bubble to pop out under its beak. The young man jumped backwards, surprised at the loud call. The blue bird seemed to watch something behind the blond before calling once more and fluttering off into the woods. Naruto stood confused, disheartened, and about to give up when he heard a small giggle behind him. "Hello?" He called as he turned to the sound, the hallway remained empty, though a small movement of silver fabric around the corner caught his attention. "Can you help me?" The blond asked, walking back towards that part of the hallway. "I'm look for Sasu- I mean Wood Sasuke's room. I'm new here and got lost in this maze of a castle." He explained as he turned the corner, "Could you-?" His sentence cut off when he saw no one around the corner, the only person in the quiet hall was his confused self. Another soft giggle echoed further away, followed by a sighting of the silver dress and flowing hair. "H-Hey!" Naruto ran towards the woman hoping she was leading him to his destination. This sequence continued as he made his way up and down staircases, around corners, and past some scurrying servants.

After jumping down the final three steps of a spiral staircase, the woman vanished. The corridor fell silent, no giggle or whisper was heard, and Naruto was alone again… "W-wait!" He called, "Am I here? Where do I go now?" The blond asked, just as puzzled as ever.

* * *

Sasuke slammed a fist against his shut door and grabbed the silver crown from his forehead, throwing it onto his bed. The plush cotton covered in green blankets made a soft sound as the lightweight headdress landed on it. The raven grunted in frustration as he ran a sweaty hand through his hair. "_Why am I so angry?"_ He pondered. The image of his blond and the healer kissing while embracing churned his stomach, anger taking hold of his mind yet again. A defenseless chair sat beside his window gathering leaves which had snuck into the chamber. Sasuke stormed up to the wooden object grabbed it and threw it against the floor with all his might unitl successfully splintering it into large pieces. The prince sighed as he sat on the end of the bed held up by vines, "What am I doing?" He muttered to himself.

"_Why do I care so much?"_ He asked himself, _"Why do I care who that idiot sees?"_

His mind replied to the angered raven with an image of himself embracing the blond man. Pale fingers brushing through golden locks which rested under his chin and tickled his jaw. Imaginary Naruto lifted his head to look into the prince's dark eyes and smiled softly before Sasuke leaned down to lessen the distance between their lips. Blood rushed to the raven's face as he realized his feelings weren't of sympathy or understanding. He covered his tinted face and tried to calm himself. Though remembering how Naruto and Hinata both confessed their feelings sent the Uchiha back into a frenzy. Rising suddenly, he grabbed his sheathed sword from its place beside the door and hurried out of the room.

With a strong swing of the door, Sasuke emerged from his room; the broken chair still lying in pieces on the floor. He stalked out into the corridor and turned to head to the training grounds, but stumbling upon a puzzled blond. Naruto stood in the middle of the hall frantically looking around, currently studying a lone corner. With his mind clouded with jealousy, the raven stormed up to the injured man and called out "Oi!"

Naruto jumped from the familiar voice, "Hey Sasuk- ?! H-hey!" He cried as the raven marched up, grabbed him by the shoulder, and slammed the blond against the cold stone wall. "What the hell Sasuke?" Naruto hissed with pain as his wound was agitated by the sudden impact.

Fierce black eyes under a deep brow pierced blue, sending shivers down the blond's spine. "Why?" He seemed to growl out, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What? About me being human?" Naruto questioned before telling the angered raven "Didn't think you needed to know." He shrugged with his free shoulder.

"How could I…?" Sasuke seemed to be in his own world as he yelled at himself. "And with a human no less!"

"The hell is your problem? You were fine with me being a human earlier, you were the one who said I wasn't like the humans you know!"

Sasuke grumbled, remembering how he stood up for the blond. He looked down from Naruto and noticed what he had done. The prince and the outsider were too close for comfort, his pale hand resting on the other man's exposed shoulder. The warm skin underneath his fingertips sent electricity throughout his body and removed the furious cloud from his mind. The raven could feel warmth rise to his cheeks making them a light shade of pink. Sasuke released Naruto and abruptly started to walk away down the hall. Naruto stood against the chilled wall, his brain silently feasting on the image of the blushing prince. How the coloring of the raven's cheeks contrasted greatly against his pale skin. The blond stumbled with his words before regaining control and rushing after Sasuke. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"To train." The raven's dull voice echoed back to the injured man.

"Look," Naruto said after catching up to Sasuke and matching his speed. "I'm sorry for not telling you." He seemed to plead. "I just didn't think it was important!" The blond explained loudly while taking hold of the prince's hand.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, asking Naruto one question without turning to face him. "Do you know why my people and all of our kingdom hates humans?"

"Nope." The blond furiously shook his head, "What'd they do? Steal from you?"

"They attacked Natorin, released the evil Orochimaru back into the world, and killed my parents in front of me." Venom dripped from the raven's words, he turned his head slightly so he could see Naruto's reaction in his peripheral. The injured man tightened his grip on Sasuke's wrist, his azure eyes widening and his face falling. Sasuke's expression faltered as he felt a twinge of guilt at the sight of Naruto's pained look. "I-I apologize… I know you are nothing like those monsters." The raven prince spoke softly, "Excuse me now, I'm going to go train off my anger." He dismissed himself, lightly pulling his hand out of the blond's grasp.

Naruto was left to watch the raven walk away and down a staircase, his shoulders slumped forward. He could still feel the warm touch of their contact in his palm which he clenched. A feeling of pain and loss clutched at Naruto's heart, he couldn't understand why fighting with the raven made him feel depressed… _"Why would they do that?" _The blond angrily thought,_ "How dare they… I need answers"_

After a moment of silence, Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "Shit!" A tan hand rushing to his forehead. "I forgot to thank him! Goddamn it!"

* * *

The sun set and rose to a new morning, Naruto had not seen Sasuke since that run in after the trial. He felt agitated by the separation and fighting with the Duckbutt, the blond let loose a long sigh and sat up in his cot. Groggily, he looked around the healer's area. Wounded and sickly citizens lay in similar cots, Woodlanders in the same white robes as Hinata hurried from patient to patient. For a second Naruto wondered how he slept through all this commotion twice now, though Iruka did wake him up after he fell asleep at a friend's boxing match. Kiba threw a fit after Iruka told him, the blond could almost hear the feral growl now. He chuckled as he reminisced, sadness taking its place again soon after.

"Why so sad, Naruto?" A melodic voice asked, bringing the blond back to the fantasy world.

"Nothing, I'm fine Hinata!" He sported a toothy grin. The raveness placed her slender hands on her hips and raised both eyebrows. "Alright, alright. Maybe I'm a bit hungry?" Naruto shrugged.

"Of course you are, when are you not?" Hinata teased.

"Hey! That is no way to treat your new boyfriend!" The injured man falsely pouted, crossing his arms across a freshly bandaged torso.

Pink painted her features as she smiled brightly, "Come, let's eat in the garden; you need Mother's fresh air." She lightly took Naruto's hands and tugged him out of the bed, leading out the door and down the enclosed spiral staircase.

"What is the garden like?" The blond man wondered.

"It's beautiful! The first Queen Mother planted the Wood Grove and the Garden of Life." She explained while leading him through the large castle. "The Wood Grove has rows upon rows of Natorin trees, which bloom every time of the year. The Garden of Life holds many types of flowers and plants cultivated by the healing families, mine included, to aid in helping Mother's children. Both are connected to Mother and every Woodlander, many coming to meditate and ask for healing, which is why many Natorin citizens volunteer to help maintain the gardens." Hinata stopped by a large room filled with bustling servant carrying trays of food, swiping three small rolls of what looked like bread. Guards bowed slightly to the petite woman, sending small glares to the blond, and opened the large oak doors.

Naruto squinted as he stepped into the bright sunlight, shading his ocean blue eyes from the painfully bright environment. The two walked around the beautiful plant life, taking in the magnificence and beautiful colors. Hinata seated herself in between a bushel of vibrant blue flowers and a bunch of bushes holding orange and white berries. "Sit with me Naruto." She happily chimed, holding up one of the rolls.

"Okay, what are these anyway?" Naruto inspected the two rolls offered, the golden crust showing small blue objects inside.

"It is a Jurin roll." The raven smiled, "This here is a Jurin plant," A small finger pointed to the blue flowers beside them. "its petals help cleanse the body and gives strength to the muscles."

"So like a protein bar, but a bread roll…" The blond thought out loud, turning one of the rolls in his hands, the strange words confusing Hinata.

After a moment of thinking Naruto took a large bite of the bread. Smiling brightly after swallowing, "This is pretty good!"

The two sat in the garden, the sun's heat cooled by the occasional breeze, talking about various topics; what it's like in Naruto's world, favorite things, and more. Suddenly the blond went silent. He played with the last half of his second roll and stared at the long grass under his legs.

"What is bothering you?" Hinata kindly asked, placing her hands on tan ones to gain the man's attention.

"Hey, Hinata… Can I ask you something?" He asked the woman beside him.

"Of course!"

"Well… Could you tell me about the day the humans attacked Natorin and killed Sasuke's parents?"

Gasping quietly and then taking a moment to think, she replied with an unsure voice. "Sure."

The female raven settled her hands on her lap, the soft white fabric of her dress shined due to the sudden change in angle. "Well…"

* * *

"_It happened around ten harvests ago; Wood Sasuke, Neji, and I were only eleven harvests old and Wood Itachi was sixteen. We were asleep in our rooms when we heard the horns from the wall." _

Piercing horns blew after a loud explosion erupted, guards on the walls hurrying to their stations with their weapons in hand. "They've broken through!" The captain called to his sleepy guards.

"_There were three tribes of humans in the Natorin woods, they had made a peace treaty with a past Queen Mother for settlement in the Woods."_

The hairy beings climbed through the hole in the wall, black residue still on the stone. Their eyes wide with the primal desire to kill and rough hands clenching foreign weapons. Groups upon groups of human men and women filtered into the elven kingdom, greatly outnumbering the evening guards. Without paying much mind to the armored men jumping down from the wall, the tallest man from one of the tribes called to the rest, "Go. Castle. Get." Then started to bash any guards near him with his two-handed hammer. One tribe stayed behind to deal with the wall guards as the other two rampaged through the village to get to the castle. The journeying groups of attackers set fire to houses and shops on their way, luckily many Natorin citizens already abandoned their houses after the horn's call. The castle stood tall and dark in the extremely early light, though many lights could be seen moving through the open windows. The large doors opened to allow royal guards to run out and line up in front of the castle. Many nobles who lived within the castle volunteered to aid the guards in defending the castle.

"Leave now savages!" Fugaku yelled, taking his place among the line. When the group continued to advance the king turned to his men and instructed them. "We must protect the Queen Mother at all costs, Mother's love." He blessed.

A human woman leading the two tribes held a small black object in her free hand, throwing it at one end if the defending line once close enough. The raven haired king watched in horror as the round, black, ball exploded on impact; tearing his men to shreds. Their limbs scattered across the entranceway and their blood glistening in the setting moonlight. "No, it can't be." A noble beside Fugaku commented.

"Kabuto…" The king whispered right before another ball was thrown, this time landing at his feet.

"_I remember hearing my mother's voice call to Queen Mother Mikoto before coming to my room to gather Neji and me." _

"Wood Mikoto, you must leave! You must stay safe, at all costs!" The healer instructed the hurrying queen. Her long black hair, a small tone of purple shined in bangs which rested above round pale eyes, was styled into duel braids which were thrown over her shoulders and settled just above her hips. Her intricate while robe dragged along the floor as she ran to catch up to her queen.

"Not at the cost of my children!" Mikoto stopped to turn to her dear friend, "Sasuke and Itachi are in danger and I must get them to safety." The queen's ebony hair flowed freely down her back, pale hands held up the long navy and gold gown she wore. "Wouldn't you do the same for Hinata?" She questioned.

Without another word or enough time to hear an answer, the queen continued on down the hall. The raven haired healer followed suit and headed towards her daughter and nephew's chambers.

"Itachi." Mikoto softly called while opening the door to her oldest son's bedroom.

"Mother?" The teenage boy called, rising from his bed. The prince was already dressed and held the sword his father gave him seasons ago. "Where is father? What is happening?"

The queen hurried in and gave her son a comforting hug, the boy closing his eyes as he inhaled his mother's familiar scent. "Humans have broken through our wall, your father is out defending the castle." She explained while pulling away from the hug, still resting her hands on his shoulders. "We need to get your brother and find safety."

With a curt nod, Itachi and his mother headed down the hall to the young prince's room. Sasuke had blocked his open window with blankets and sat beside his bed, his bed shirt partially tucked into a pair of brown pants, an emptied candle stick in his hands. "Sasuke, I'm opening the door." His brother's voice called before opening the bedroom door.

"Itachi, Mom!" The younger prince ran to his family, "What is wrong, why did the horns sound?"

"We are under attack." The eldest son explained while lifting a corner of the blanket to peek out the window.

"_We met up with Wood Sasuke, Wood Itachi, and the Queen Mother outside the royal study." _

The queen motioned to the raven healer to get inside the room before ushering her own children inside. She stood in the open doorway and watched the four children interact before looking up at Hinata's mother. "No." The raveness whispered.

"I have to." Mikoto replied, leaning down and kissing her beloved children's foreheads. "Orochimaru must have something to do with this."

"Mom?" Sasuke asked while raising a hand to touch his forehead. Mikoto smiled a genuine smile before running off down the hall.

"Mikoto!" Hinata's mother yelled, running to the door.

The raven queen rushed down the hall and towards the prison wing. "That snake will wish I had given him death instead of life in a cell." She muttered to herself.

The wing was left unguarded and quiet, a lone man sat in a caged room. He faced away from the barred door, the only thing Mikoto could see was his long dark hair resting on the floor. "Nice of you to join me on this joyous day, _your highness_." The man said, still facing away, hatred dripping from the last two words.

"Orochimaru." She spat. "What have you done?"

He stood from the floor and faced the woman who charged him with treason. "I'm about to change the world." A smile formed on his lips which sent shivers down the queen's spine.

"What do you mean…?" Mikoto questioned, squinting her dark eyes, a loud explosion making vibrations spread throughout the castle.

"Soon." His smile grew. "Soon, the worlds will be mine."

"_My mother kept us preoccupied for a while, though her face still held a worried expression. It was after the second explosion that she told us to stay put and left to find the Queen Mother. Then, another entered the room…"_

Hinata's mother followed the direction Mikoto had run down a few minutes earlier. Worries about her dear friend and queen ran through her mind as fast as she was rushing down the corridor. She knew Itachi was old enough and trained well enough to protect the younger teens against some humans. The raven barged into the holding wing to see Orochimaru facing the queen and Mikoto turned to see who entered the room. "Your highness, are you alright?" The healer asked the queen, walking towards the closed cell.

"What are you doing here?" Mikoto yelled, "Where are the children?"

"They are safe under Itachi's protection, he is a skilled fighter."

"Maybe against a human, but not against Kabuto!"

"Kabuto?" The raven healer gasped, "He can't be here!"

"Orochimaru is planning something, Kabuto can't be too far behind." Mikoto thought aloud, causing Hinata's mother to regret leaving the children back in the study.

"I'll leave immediately to get the children." The raveness bowed her head before turning to leave again.

"There's no need for that." Orochimaru interjected.

Both women turned to the prisoner, a look of confusion evident on both their faces. Soft footsteps sounded behind the two women, a guard opened the wing, the four teenagers in tow.

"Guard, what is the meaning of this?" Mikoto asked abruptly.

"Your highness…" The guards greeted, removing his helm to reveal ash-grey hair. He smirked as he readjusted the circular black-rimmed glasses. One of the human tribes approached behind him, holding up their weapons to the children.

"Now shall we begin?" Orochimaru asked, taking a small dagger from Kabuto.

"_We stood in the arms of monsters as we watched Kabuto open the cell and push the queen in, she complied when she saw one of the humans pressed their dagger against Wood Sasuke's neck." _

"Great Father, take this blood as ink for your story." The prisoner yelled to the ceiling, grabbing Mikoto's arm and slicing a line across her forearm. She cried in pain, her blood pooled and dripped from her pale skin. As it touched the floor, the red liquid shined and glistened gold. "With this ink, Father, draw open your doors. Let the worlds connect!" He bellowed, a loud boom sounded from the sky. A bright red light lit the early morning sky, spreading like pulsating waves into the distance. Orochimaru laughed darkly before exclaiming "I can see them! The doors have been opened!" His pupils replaced with redness. "You have done your part." He spoke to the injured queen, turning her to face her children. Before she could call to her sons, Orochimaru slashed the dagger across her neck. Mikoto fell to the floor, gold blood flowing from the wound. The queen sputtered, blood lining down her chin, until she and her body went quiet.

"Me, want. This, me son." The female human holding the weapon to Sasuke's collar spoke to Kabuto.

Orochimaru replied to the woman with a curt "Have him, we'd just kill him anyway." Kabuto opened the cell and leaned down to grab the bloodied queen. The grey haired man stumbled back as Mikoto's eyes snapped open, the once onyx eyes glowed silver.

"Mom?" The young Sasuke called, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Her body rose off the floor and into the air, her whole body engulfed in silver, long ebony hair turned a sparkling sterling color. "Mother…" The raven healer muttered.

"_The part of Mother in Wood Mikoto had risen from the deceased body of the queen."_

The shining woman waved a hand at Orochimaru, sending him flying back into the cell wall. She met eyes with the remaining tribe of humans and spoke to them. _**"You received the promise of my kingdom if you freed Orochimaru. As punishment, you shall leave the settlements given to you and will never return to my Wood." **_Her booming voice entered the human's heads and caused their eyes to gloss over silver, controlling their mind. Lethargically, the tribe dropped their weapons from the teen's necks and left the castle; leaving the Woods forever.

"Well hello, Mother…" Orochimaru sneered as he grabbed the floating woman and with one move, stabbed his dagger through her chest. The blade poked through her silver dress, just below her breasts. Kabuto caught the falling woman, laying her on the floor before helping the injured Orochimaru out of the cell.

"No!" Itachi yelled, Sasuke cried, and the two Hyuga's wailed.

"Stay where you are!" Hinata's mother called, visible veins pulsing around her cold, pale eyes.

"Can't." The freed prisoner smirked, "I have entrances to find and conquer."

The raven healer lifted and arm toward the retreating figure, "Mother! Blind his eyes from his mission! Keep your children safe!" She screamed, a blinding golden light radiated from her fingertips and engulfed Orochimaru. A guttural scream escaped his lips as he fell to his knees, clawing at his face. Kabuto ran to the healer, and slammed her against the nearest wall.

"What have you done?" He growled, pressing his elven sword against her stomach.

"_It was then that she decided to trade her life for the rest of the Woodlanders."_

Hinata's mother kept quiet, her mouth shut and a rebellious smile placed on her face. Out of frustration, Kabuto stabbed through her abdomen over and over again; until Orochimaru rose from his knees and commanded him to come. The two men disappeared into the chaos and out into the Wood.

The raveness slid to the floor, Hinata cried as she ran to her mother, sputtering blood as she whispered "He cannot… see… them anymore…" Using the last of her energy to turn her head to face the fallen queen. "I'll be… with you… dear friend." She whispered as her soul faded from their world.

* * *

Naruto sat, stunned and speechless, opening and closing his mouth trying to form a sentence in his mind.

"That is what happened that fateful day. Afterwards, Itachi was crowned king and we have been searching for those entrances." Hinata finished. "One of those entrances being what you fell though."

Taking it all in, Naruto rested his chin in his palm. "Thank you for telling me…" He looked up to see the pained expression on his girlfriend's face and sighed. "I'm sorry you had to relive that experience. Truthfully, I wasn't upset earlier because I was hungry… I guess I'm just upset that Sasuke and I are on bad terms."

Hinata glanced up, studying the face of the blond man beside her.

"I don't know why, but I don't like fighting with him…"

"Why do you connect so well with the prince?" She asked skeptically.

"Hmmm" He pondered the question for a moment. "Well, he was the only one who showed me compassion and understanding."

The raveness sat quietly, confused and hurt by his words. Hadn't she only shown understanding and kindness towards the blond? All of the recent encounters with Sasuke, since Naruto had been brought to Natorin Desam, played through her mind. She was a smart woman, never easily manipulated since that day with Kabuto, so it was easy to construct a theory.

"Naruto, Madame Hinata." A muscular guard approached the sitting couple. "Wood Itachi has called a meeting and requires you to attend." He addressed the blond sitting cross legged in the deep green grass. "Madame, you are also invited to attend."

"I'm sorry." She shook her head, "I need to care for the Garden of Life and also need to gather supplies for the healing wing."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, looking at Hinata with worried azure eyes. "Sasuke's going to be there right?" He whispered to her.

"Go on, shoo." The raven shooed her boyfriend, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

The blond man rose from her side, looking back to her before following the guard back into the castle.

"_I don't like how Sasuke's behavior and Naruto's feelings correlate…" _Hinata thought to herself, she remembered how the prince looked at Naruto during the trial. _"Though he may be my good friend, I don't want to let Naruto go."_

* * *

Sasuke panted and yelled as he launched himself at one of his guards. Their swords clashed loudly, a ringing clang sounded, sweat dripped from both of their faces. With a slight jab to the back of his foot, the guard fell onto his back and grunted from pain. "Next." The prince grumbled. The guard scurried out of the arena, the others who were watching looked at each other; dreading to go up against the Uchiha. "Who's next?" The raven called, frustration laced into his question.

"I'll go up against you." A voice called from behind the prince.

"Neji…" Sasuke sighed, "I'm not going to fight you. You're my childhood friend."

"Is that it, or is it because you know I'll beat you?" The pale eyed man smirked.

A silent reply consisting of a glare and a 'not having it' face was sent to the Hyuga.

"Come on, who will go up against the trained Sasuke Uchiha?" The prince yelled at the crowd, banging his free hand on his chest.

"Wood Sasuke," Neji called to get his friend's attention. "You have been out here fighting for almost a full day. You should take a rest." He said, honestly worried.

"Very well." Sasuke angrily spat and walked out of the training arena and into the guard house.

A man and woman sat at the table, still dressed in their armor, eating and resting. Both instantly stood at the sight of the royal bodyguard and prince. "Mother's love!" The woman blessed the Uchiha.

"Out." Sasuke replied.

The two guards scurried out of the building, too quickly to grab their scraps of food. "Sasuke…" Neji watched as they closed the door. "What is on your mind?"

"Nothing." He brushed off the topic. Sasuke stationed himself in front of the weapon rack to hang his now sheathed sword while he took off the armor he borrowed.

"Remember how you held in your fears and anger after your parent's deaths?" Neji asked, seating himself at the cluttered table. Sasuke froze at the mention of his parents.

"Yes…" He softly spoke, "What about it?" The raven inquired, slowly resuming the undressing.

"You became sick that following harvest, only to feel better after releasing all the demons in your mind to the Mother Tree." Pale orbs carefully watched hard onyx eyes relax. "I have known you since we were young woodlings, I never want to see you like that. So… I'll ask again." He paused, "What is on your mind?"

"Naruto…" The prince whispered almost inaudibly.

"Naruto?" Neji repeated, "Are you upset about trusting a human?"

Black spikes, coated in sweat, wobbled as he shook his head. "No… That's not it." The youngest Uchiha stayed silent while he debated to tell his friend what he figured was the reason.

"Then what?" The Hyuga questioned.

"That human won't leave my mind; the darker shade of his skin, the way his golden hair falls down his neck, and that idiotic smile of his." The prince recited while starring into nothing, loosing himself in the image of his blond.

"Sasuke…" Neji spoke, furrowing his brow.

"I was upset about him being human, though it did not bother me until he gave himself to your cousin." Sasuke growled. "All that I've done for that idiot… and this is how I'm treated?"

"How you're treated, or how you're feelings are treated?" Neji corrected the angered prince. "What are your feelings for the humans?" The bodyguard looked at his confused friend.

Hesitantly, after a short sigh, Sasuke replied. "He is an honest idiot… but that's what I like about him."

"Mm-hmm" Neji nodded.

"He understands my loss and doesn't treat me like some object to worship, treats me like an actual person and isn't afraid to called me a disrespectful name." Sasuke explained. "I think… I think I may like him."

"Like him?" Neji tilted his head, "Like a dear friend, a bodyguard, or a… lover?"

"I-I'm not sure." The prince stuttered, running a hand through his hair. "I mean… I daydreamed about holding him." He described, holding his hands in front of his face. "Embracing him, the touch of his hair, and the warmth of his skin… Sorry, you don't want to hear this right?" He apologized to his childhood friend.

"I don't mind it, as long as it helps release tensions on your mind." Neji answered honestly, the dull look on his face held up by the palm of his hand.

Sasuke chuckled, "Or you are curious what it's like to fantasize about men." The prince wiggled his eyebrows playfully and showing his unclothed chest.

"Maybe." Neji smirked at the bewildered face his friend gave him. Three knocks at the guardhouse door interrupted their conversation.

"Yes?" Sasuke called.

"Wood Sasuke, Sir Neji?" An unknown guard asked.

"What is it guard?" Sasuke inquired as he opened the door, revealing a short man in full armor.

"Wood Itachi has called for a meeting to discuss the entrances. You have been called for immediately." He announced, saluting before turning to leave. "Mother's Love."

"Well then, worshipping object, let's go." Neji said as he moved around the prince to exit the building, tossing a white shirt his way. "I'm sure you would love to show Naruto your exposed chest, but I would highly suggest covering it for your brother." The pale eyed bodyguard teased.

The Uchiha threw on the thin fabric shirt, the buttons hooked halfway up which revealed the upper part of his chest. He grumbled as he followed suit, leaning his head down trying to cover the embarrassment coloring his face.

* * *

Naruto followed the buff guard with his hands in the pockets of his extremely dirty cargo pants. Bringing a hand to scratch an itch, he remembered he was wearing nothing but bandages on his chest and stomach. "Hey!" The blond called to the guard. "Can we stop somewhere to grab my shirt from Hinata's area?"

"No." The taller man strictly said, not even bothering to face the blond.

"…" Naruto plotted, coming up with a plan to 'convince' the guard. "I don't think you want me to tell my good buddy Sasuke about this, do you?" A mischievous smirk evident on his lips as the guard stopped in his tracks, his body stiff from fear.

"Y-you wouldn't…" The muscular man turned to Naruto, his face full of dread. "I don't want to go up against him again in the arena."

"Huh?" Utter confusion replaced the smirk.

"H-he, Wood S-Sasuke, has been fighting non-stop since this time yestermorning." The guard glanced side to side. "I-I'll take you right away!"

During the hurried walk to the healer's wing, the injured man thought of the raven prince. He knew their fight hadn't helped ease Sasuke's anger. Worries about Sasuke getting injured while training crossed his mind, which he shooed away once they arrived in front of the wing's door. Naruto quickly dipped in to grab the white shirt that lay on the floor beside his bed. He slipped on the stiff fabric, _"Goddamn, I need to wash this…"_ The blond thought as he got a whiff of the shirt. The cartoon fox on the chest of the shirt held a paint brush in one paw and a grey clay pot in the other. Underneath, in jagged letters, read the pun: _**"What did the fox **__**clay**__**?" **_Naruto chuckled as he read his shirt, though upside down to him. He always was a sucker for a good pun.

The buff man opened the study door for the blond and ushered him in, saying a soft blessing before closing the door behind him. "Naruto, welcome to my study." Itachi greeted the human, his long dark hair in a ponytail and thrown over his left shoulder. "Sasuke and Neji just arrived as well." The king pointed to his brother and the bodyguard, both seated by a large bookcase.

Naruto quickly glanced at the raven he was quarreling with, his cerulean eyes drawn straight to the prince's exposed chest. An impulse to touch his tan fingertips to the slightly glistening exposed area tugged at Naruto's body. _"Calm down boy… You're just tired and lonely." _He convinced himself, further slapping his mental self by thinking _"That's why I have Hinata, I'm not lonely anymore." _

Sasuke walked up to the lost in thought blond and lightly punched him in the shoulder, keeping his gaze away from Naruto's. "I'm sorry about yestermorning. I was unfairly angry and took my demons out on you, I was honest during the trial when I said I know you aren't a monster. I trust you and think of you closely." The prince wasn't accustomed to apologizing or expressing himself in general, at least to no one other than the Mother Tree. This awkwardness made the prince seem awkward, Naruto noted the out of character sight and unconsciously stepped closer to the other man. Charcoal eyes looked up into ocean blue, seeing the bright smile the raven loved so much.

"It's really no problem, I get that way too sometimes." Naruto laughed, returning the fake punch with a nudge. "Next time, you should just come to me and tell me your problem. I guarantee I can solve it!" He pounded one fist against his palm, trying to be threatening but only seeming cute to the prince. Naruto's smile returned when he heard the raven chuckled softly.

"Sorry to interrupt your bonding, but I have a few questions for our new friend." Itachi poked his between the two men, an entertained look on his face as he glanced between the two.

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto remembered, stepping away from Sasuke. "What did ya wanna know?"

"Tell me what happened the day you fell into the lake, in detail if you can." The king instructed while pulling out an empty book of parchment and a writing utensil.

"Well," The blond started. "I got the day off so I could visit the orphanage I grew up in, since it was closing, and went 'round back to see my old treehouse." The three Woodlanders looked at each other, mentally asking 'a house in a tree?' or 'day off? Was it night?'. "I'd been feeling sick all day and it only got worse when I unlocked my old hangout, I even vomited!" Naruto finally connected the dots.

"Vomited?" Neji repeated.

"Uh… Got sick. Or emptied my stomach." The blond tried to explain.

"Interesting, how sick were you?" Itachi asked while writing down what the human had said previously.

"Pretty bad actually, to the point where I mostly black out… Oh, uh, fainted… Was fatigued?" Naruto shrugged, hoping he was explaining things well. "While I was fainting, I tripped on a nail and fell."

"And, after you landed was that when you saw the entrance?" Itachi questioned, looking up from his book briefly.

"Nope, I never landed!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke cast a confused glance to Neji before asking the basic question "When did you land then?"

"I opened my eyes to see the lake getting close real fast, splashing head first into the water. When I dragged myself out of the water, I saw the portal floating in the sky."

"What did it look like?" Sasuke asked.

"It was round, clear, and I could see the ceiling of my treehouse in the center." Naruto pictured the last sighting of his home world.

"What happened to it? Shall we leave immediately for the lake?" Neji spoke up, standing from his seat.

"No point, it vanished while I was looking at it… What are they anyway?" The blond took a turn asking the questions. "I heard about the attack and Orochimaru from Hinata earlier."

"Orochimaru had been previously tried and found guilty of treason, or conspiring to overthrow the Queen Mother. He had been caught with Kabuto trying to conjure open the entrances, claiming they were to other worlds and are open to conquering." Itachi explained, setting the book onto his desk.

"Which we now know to be true." Sasuke added while pointing a finger upwards.

"So if it is open to the other worlds, then does that mean I'm not the only one to fall through?" Naruto asked, seeming to get excited by the thought of another person from his Earth.

"I'm afraid that isn't the case." Itachi shook his head. "The entrances were opened ten harvests ago, but remained inactive until this season. You are the only known subject to its choosing."

"Choosing? Did it choose me to drop into a lake?" Now Naruto was really confused.

"Orochimaru had sacrificed for the Father, a deity who controls time and days while Mother is an all-loving deity who takes care of the Wood." The king explained.

"So… He chose me to come to this world…?" It was obvious that the blond was still not getting it, until it dawned on him. "Oh! Fate! So you're saying it was fate for me to come here."

"Correct. You were brought here to help with closing the entrances and keeping not just your world safe, but ours as well." The eldest Uchiha nodded.

"Why has ten years gone by and Orochimaru still hasn't found the portals?" The blond asked, placing a finger on his chin.

"Hinata's mother cast a curse on him, making him unable to see their auras. He is now blind to their presence and is trying to gain knowledge on where they have opened or moved to. During the inactive ten harvests, Orochimaru and Kabuto tried to undo the spell cast on him… Only to find that the lone caster has the ability to retract the curse." Itachi told the quiet blond. "We must find a way to defeat that snake and close the entrances." The older Uchiha walked away from the group of younger men and pulled out his desk chair. "This has been enough for today, I must attend to some paperwork. You are dismissed."

* * *

Naruto wandered about in the gardens, the sun had set beyond the treetops making the sky a vibrant orange. Across from the garden stood a hill filled with nothing but tall grass and some stray weeds. The blond whistled a simple guitar rift, which he heard on Iruka's radio in Ichiraku once, while sauntering up the hill. A less than full moon peered over the horizon opposite of the sun. Naruto confirmed the spot would do well for his strange routine of chatting with his parents. Settling on his back, the injured man gazed up at the coral colored sky and pointed out all the slightly visible stars. His relaxing view was obscured by a bright flash of light, blinding him completely. Almost as if he had been struck by lightning… An uneasy feeling washed over Naruto, he could feel a change in the environment. _"It must have something to do with the portals!"_ He decided, quickly getting up before rushing off to find the person who came straight to mind. "Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

* * *

_Holy crap… I wrote 15 pages… That's about 10 or 12 pages longer than any college paper I've written! Who'da thunk 7145 words would be so exhausting to write. _

_I hope you enjoyed! :)_


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